A Time to Love
by Interface
Summary: It's time for Dr River Song to pilot the Tardis with the Doctor. Finally, their time is set in motion.
1. Chapter 1

Doctor River Song consulted her diary; hurriedly flicking through the worn pages.

"Now now Doctor," she teased sensing him over her shoulder, "Spoilers"

He smiled and wandered a few paces away, no harm in keeping her on her toes.

"I've never taken such an experienced companion with me before," he pondered as he turned his attention absentmindedly to his sonic screwdriver.

"I'm not your companion Doctor," she replied closing the diary casually as she turned to him. She smiled at his confused and hurt expression, "Come along sweetie, we have lots to do. Would you...?" Aiming at the Tardis his snapped his fingers and the wooden blue door swung inwards. Without a backward glance she strode inside, the door closed obediently behind her. The Doctor stared for a moment; he pushed his hair out of his eyes as he stood confused for a second too long. The Tardis engine burst into life forcing him to follow her inside his faithful time machine. He slid his screwdriver carefully into his pocket as he looked for River within the Tardis, the door clicked shut.

"We make a great team you know Doctor," her voice came from the other side of the console.

"We do, don't we," he smiled, "I have to say, finding you in the wrong order is a bit, problematic"

"You don't find me Doctor, I find you," River pulled the final lever on the console and found her seat beside him as the Tardis sailed happily into the depths of space.

"So..." he said finally breaking the silence that had grown between them, "Lot's to do you say?" he made a playful grab for the diary still in her hand.

"... and plenty of time to do it all in," she laughed removing it swiftly from his reach, "If you try to peak again... who knows what might happen," River chuckled at his shocked expression, "At the diary Doctor... oh you're so young yet... so young. I don't know why I've let you wander all this time without me"

"So you've read it all?" he asked.

"Sweetie... I _wrote_ it all"

The Doctor smiled and shook his head, "It's not set in stone, River... time can be rewritten"

"Not our time Doctor. Not ours" They paused and stared at each other, for slightly too long.

"River, I'm a complicated time event, I know time can be rewritten, ANY time. I've seen it happen"

"It's not your way Doctor"

He looked once more into her annoyingly 'all knowing' eyes. Those eyes knew him better than he knew himself. He frowned, "Maybe I'll surprise even you River"

"Everything has to end Doctor, everything dies..." as she continued to talk the Doctor closed his eyes and was instantly back inside the Library listening to those exact words, River's words, her dying words. He wondered if she'd planned to say those words to him.

"Doctor? Are you listening to me? Don't you close your eyes! I know you don't sleep! Doctor!" she bellowed in frustration.

"Hmm?" he asked looking at her with puzzled interest. She eyed him suspiciously before standing; swiftly and deftly she piloted the Tardis with seamless ease.

"Can you...?"

"... Leave the brakes on?" she laughed slightly, "You always ask me that. For you Doctor... anything"

Playing with his bowtie he watched her with pure fascination. This woman; this... complicated time event, who could have predicted her impact? She was as untameable as all of time and space and yet somehow she'd managed to tame the most feared being in all the cosmos. Though it was still the beginning for him he already felt an impossible feeling of safety and freedom with her on board the Tardis. And of course, there was only one reason he would tell anyone his name. He knew he could trust River Song with his life, every dimension of it.


	2. Chapter 2

"Well... we're here," she decided finally after a lot of running around the Tardis console. The Doctor looked slightly confused.

"But..."

"The noise?" she sighed impatiently.

"Well... yes. I love that noise... it's a great noise"

"Well sweetie you land her next time. Landing with the brakes on is bad practice... but you know that already," she replied unhooking her shoes from the screen rail.

The Doctor frowned, "I will"

River smiled at him, "You're an impossible man sometimes Doctor"

"And you're just impossibly impossible," he argued in his childish manner as he found his feet, "Now come on. Let's see what kind of mud hole you've landed her in," he jumped down from the console platform.

"Uh sweetie? ... Aren't you forgetting something?" She'd just finished putting on her second heel. River Song stood at the top of the steps looking very expectant of the still puzzled looking Doctor, "Oh come on now. Surely you had manners before I met you," she held a hand out impatiently.

"Oh... sorry," he muttered taking her hand and leading her carefully down the few steps.

"Feels good doesn't it Doctor? Actually being a gentleman sometimes..."

He smiled widely shaking his head, "I'm always as gentlemanly as I can possibly be," he assured her as hand in hand they made their way to the door of the Tardis.

"Oh! Doctor!" she exclaimed as he was extending his hand towards the latch on the door. He watched her, an air of amusement washed over his features as she hurriedly began removing her shoes, "I've forgotten my PDA. Hold these" With River's... fabulous shoes in his patiently awaiting hands she hopped back up onto the console platform and began to hunt for her trusty PDA.

"You probably won't need it," he called examining the astonishingly high heels. He compared it to his own shoe size and stared, his mouth open in utter confusion, "How do you...?"

"Sweetie... they wouldn't suit you," she cut in pulling them out of his grasp before he tried them out... again, "Time Lords and women's shoes... There are lots of things in this universe you aren't supposed to understand," then she added firmly, "So don't try"

Once she was back at her usual height the Doctor held his arm out politely. River took it with a smile; "Now you're sure this time?" he asked pausing before he opened the door.

"Very sure Doctor"

"Good because I'm not holding those again," he replied pointing to River's shoes, "I'm not sure the universe can handle that... twice"

"Oh Doctor..." River laughed loudly, "You have no idea"

"Let's see now..." they very nearly stepped out of the Tardis. River stopped at the edge while the Doctor ungracefully tried not to over balance. He grabbed the door frame, "I knew you'd park it in a muddy field. I had this hand washed by a goat herder in the 14th century last week. Respect the Tardis River... Respect it"

"Accidents do happen Doctor"

"I'm glad you think so... so I'm sorry in advance..." he gave her a huge shove out of the doorway. River landed with a huge muddy splash, she sat looking up at the Doctor. He grabbed his stomach as he laughed with such a force that he nearly fell out himself.

"I hate you sometimes!" she called wiping down the PDA screen.

"I know!" he laughed wiping the tears from his eyes. Before he realised what was happening she'd grabbed both of his braces and tugged him down into the mud with her. He sat with a hard thud next to her and stared at her as if he was about to sonic her into a black hole. River grabbed a handful of mud and thrust it into his face.

"There!" she cried, "How do you like that?" His eyes blinked at her through the layer of mud, all other features were completely hidden. The Doctor reached up with his hands and wiped the layer from his face; he looked down at his hands and then from them to River's smug expression.

"Aaaahhh!" he yelled suddenly. River jumped back startled as he dived at her, smearing the mud all over her perfectly made face. She fell backwards and he landed on top of her, his hands either side of her head.

"How'd you like that River Song!" he laughed. Her startled muddy expression made him burst into an unstoppable laughter. A mouthful of mud silenced him, his face screwed as he stuck out his muddy tongue in disgust. River pushed him off of her making her move as she desperately tried to wade through the mud to the Tardis' door. She fell straight on her face as the Doctor dived for her ankles. They struggled and fought and laughed for what could have been forever until they were both too exhausted to continue. They lay on their backs, head to head in the mud. The Doctor felt for the label of his jacket and tried to scrape the mud from it, "I hope this is machine washable..."

"Uh... Doctor..."

He looked up at the circle of guns surrounding them.

"Oh..." he turned his head towards River slightly, "I think we may be surrounded..." he whispered excitedly as he raised his hands up in surrender.


	3. Chapter 3

"I don't know why that excites you," River grumbled raising her hands, "Dare I ask... do you have a plan?"

"Not yet... I'll just do a 'thing'" he began to move his hands slowly, "Let me show you my..."

"Don't move," one of the armoured, helmeted soldiers ordered.

"Ok ... ok... River...?"

"I don't know my love," she breathed.

After a lot of struggling and still coated head to toe in mud, the Doctor finally found his feet; a huge smile across his face, "How about a shower?" he asked, beside him River rolled her eyes; her head shaking in despair of this man. Same old Doctor, "Alright... no shower... take us to your leader then," he glanced to River grinning, "I've always wanted to say that"

"There's a reason you're always in trouble you know," she warned with a sigh, "I don't know why I put up with you"

"You crave the excitement..." he said smugly. She frowned and turned to him, hands firmly on her hips, "Don't deny it River... I don't blame you. Time travel and all that..." he waved his muddy hand at her dismissively.

"Excuse m..."

"Quiet," the soldier snapped.

"No you wait a minute!" River ordered before turning indignantly back to the Doctor waving her finger dangerously at him, "I 'crave' the excitement!" she cried, "I filled every inch of my life with excitement! And then _you_ came along! You were just so... so..." The Doctor's eyebrows rose as he waited for her sentence to come to a conclusive ending. When that looked unlikely he asked,

"So... what...?"

"I could kill you sometimes," she raised her hands once more. He pulled a slight face and nodded in silent agreement with her,

"I know..."

"Doctor?" the lead soldier asked, "_The_ Doctor?"

"You know me?" the Doctor asked suspiciously.

"Well who else would know you better...," he removed his helmet, "... than me?"

"Ohh HaHaa ... Jack Harkness!" the Doctor exclaimed, "It's been a lifetime... literally... how have you been? Keeping busy I see... got yourself a little... troop here... nice touch nice touch!" He squelched through the mud to greet the fellow time traveller with an enormous muddy hug leaving the surprised Jack covered in a thin brown coating.

"You've regenerated... looking good Doctor... very good," Jack beamed, "Men stand down... I'd like you all to meet the Doctor"

"I'd watch where you put your hands," River warned, "I've heard lots about you..."

"Ooh very feisty... so this must be _she_," the American winked, he leaned in close to River, "He's not really my type," he whispered, "So! ... It's about time Doctor," Jack threw his rifle down into the mud splashing it all up himself, "Where to next?"

"But we only just got here..."

"There's not a lot left here I haven't already seen," he winked grinning at River.

"You're almost as bad as he is," he nodded towards the Doctor, "I bet it was all your influence wasn't it... Sweetie... get the door" Jack took her arm and led her inside the Tardis through the door that the Doctor had clicked open in dismay.

"Sweetie..." Jack chuckled, "That's a new one" The Doctor clenched his teeth together tightly and begrudgingly followed them inside.

"So does my key still work on this thing?" Jack asked once they'd had a swift clean up.

"Wait... he has a key? Why? Why does he have a key and I don't?"

"River... It's..."

"No don't give the... oh 'it's complicated' story... it's always complicated with you" she turned moodily to the console tying her curly hair back firmly. Her hands then began working furiously around the console.

"She can fly the Tardis," Jack sounded impressed as he rubbed his hair dry with a towel, "Looks new in here..." The Doctor grabbed Jack by the shoulder and whispered quietly into his ear. They both turned to look at the determined looking River Song bustling around the console, "She didn't?" Jack exclaimed. The Doctor nodded in solemn reply; he turned and whispered once more into the Time Traveller's ear, "Oh really... she is?" Jack beamed looking River up and down with interest, "So... which..." The Doctor whispered once more putting his thumb and index finger together to form a circle, "ah... I see"

"I can hear you complaining Doctor... Rule number one Jack... The Doctor lies..."

"Just drop me in Cardiff, 20th Century will do," Jack called hastily pulling his braces up over his dark blue shirt. The last place he wanted to be was in the middle of a domestic between these two.

The Doctor strode over to River, there was a time for everything, and right now, it was time to make peace. He rested his hands on the console either side of her, "River," he said quietly into her ear.

"Doctor I need to move..." she sighed without turning to face him.

He remained in the same position, waiting patiently. She was getting angrier by the second, when she felt his head resting on the back of hers, she soon realised that he was sorry. She turned round only to be face to face with a shiny Tardis key on a silver chain.

"You'll always have the key River, even when you don't have it with you," he whispered stepping closer and resting his forehead against hers. She tangled her fingers around the chain and clenched her fist tightly around it.

"Uhm... uncomfortable passenger over here!" Jack called from the console sofa, "Heck just drop me anywhere I'll manage"

The Doctor looked up suddenly, "Oh... you're still here... yes... ahem... Cardiff" He made his way around the console leaving a breathless River leaning against the console, eyes closed and hand clenched tightly around her key. Stern faced, the Doctor glanced at her as he continued to work. This was how it was supposed to be, for once, time had been laid before him, and he was going to honour its call.


	4. Chapter 4

Author: I couldn't remember if Jack still had the key or part of a key. I wasn't really into the episodes with the Master. So for the purpose of this tiny scene, he still has it.

"Don't be a stranger Doctor," Jack's muffled voice said over the Doctor's shoulder.

"We won't," he replied releasing him from the vice like hug.

"And..." Jack put the rusty chain keeping the old Tardis key around the Doctor's neck, "No more misunderstandings," he winked, "It's not like I need to be invisible anymore"

He gave them one last big grin, "Good luck you two. No little Time Lords running around Doctor!"

"No no!" the Doctor called, "Where could I possibly keep them?" He felt River's fingers slide between his.

"Come on sweetie"

He put his mouth to her ear quickly, "All of time and space," he whispered, "Next stop. Everywhere" With the biggest, most childish grin he could wear he leapt to the console platform.

"Now... Doctor River Song... where shall we start? One condition... it has to be amazing! Get that book out! Let's start ticking the checklist! HaHaa!" he pulled the final lever and the Tardis sprung into action. It rocked and shook; River struggled to stay standing as she watched the Doctor, _her_ Doctor piloting his favourite companion. With a final uncertain tumble the Tardis came to an abrupt halt. River found herself stumbling, "Not that way," the Doctor smiled catching her around the waist.

"Doctor... once you know who I am ... everything changes between us"

"A good change or...?"

"Spoilers..."

He looked thoughtfully at her, "No you're right... spoilers" he took a step back pulling out his sonic screwdriver, "Let's see what we've got here then" The Doctor strode past her, River closed her eyes raising a hand to her head. After a few deep breaths she followed him. She exited the Tardis deep in thought and walked straight into his back.

"Sshh," he instructed with a whisper, he put an arm behind himself as if to protect her as he moved his screwdriver slowly around in front of him.

"What's wrong?" River whispered.

"It's too quiet..."

River's brow furrowed as she checked her PDA, "Sweetie... do you even know where we are?"

"Of course I do ... we're at Trithon ... we're..."

"... not at Trithon..." she cut in tapping away in her casual manner.

"Well... where are we then?"

"Asgard," River smiled looking up.

"... Oh... Asgard..." He looked around biting his lip.

"The ultimate couples retreat..." River continued, "Oh Doctor... you spoil me"

"I didn't ... Why has the Tardis brought us here...?" He ran back inside, leapt up to the console and began tapping away, "I knew it... I didn't set it for Asgard..." He continued tapping looking vaguely confused.

"Well we're here so ... let's make the most of it... I doubt you'd bring me here again of your own accord," River sighed as she settled herself on the sofa. The Doctor frowned and glanced at her before continuing around the controls.

"The Tardis brought us here for a reason..."

"Doctor you made a miscalculation... there doesn't need to be a reason for everything!"

"Everything happens for a reason"

River shook her head, "Well I'm going to enjoy myself while I'm here" She rose and wandered into another area of the Tardis. The Doctor, ignoring the crashes and bangs coming from her direction, continued examining the screen and pulling every lever and switch within reach.

"Why... why would you bring me here?" he asked resting his head on the edge of the console in defeat. He didn't notice River march past with a Tardis blue blanket under her arm. Presumably after setting it outside she marched back past him to gather more items. The Doctor raised his head, "I suppose I could do with a small break..." he decided finally, "yeah... we'll be having words later though," he warned the console waggling his finger at it. River once more began to march past him; in her hand she held a bottle of strange red looking soda.

"Oooh I didn't know they still made that... excellent... where's mine?" the Doctor exclaimed.

"I didn't think you were coming..." she frowned.

"Of course I'm coming," he replied shaking his head. He took off into the refrigerated section of the Tardis to begin his search for the soda. After a lot of crashes, bangs and crunches River came to his rescue,

"Doctor!" she called from the doorway waving two bottles in her hands.

"Excellent..." he stammered rubbing his cold hands together as he followed her across the console room.

Door open, River stepped out into the sunlight,

"Now..." he said straightening his bow tie and jacket, "environment check"

He put his finger in his mouth then held it out high in front of him before stepping outside himself.


	5. Chapter 5

The dual suns shone with unexplainable ease as River began to unroll the blanket. The grass was fluffy and seemed to glow an unusually light shade of green. Surrounding them, odd spirally shaped trees were in bloom hosting blossoms of many different shades of pink and purple. The air seemed fresh and clean as River inhaled deeply.

"Two times more trees than people," the Doctor informed waving his finger around, "Dual suns... dual moons... dual Ozones ... everything here comes in a pair... fitting...Oh...," he licked his finger and raised his hand higher, "... and chances of rain later..."

"You know, I've always wanted to go to see the Singing Towers," River pondered, she looked across to the Doctor as she laid out the blue blanket in front of the Tardis. The Doctor held his spit covered finger in the air and began to pace a few metres.

"Plenty of time to do that," he replied turning on the spot. He grinned at her; "Now..." he pulled a pair of sunglasses out of his pocket and slid them on, "... Time to relax" He bounced over to her and threw himself onto the blanket. River's face broke into a huge smile, all hers, for all of time. He sat with his straight legs crossed and his back against the Tardis, sunglasses propped askew on his head. River lay facing the sky, her head in his lap as his fingers tangled gently in her curly hair.

"We can't run forever Doctor..." she breathed closing her eyes.

"Of course we can..." he replied simply, "... You ... me... running. It's what we do"

She smiled, shielding her eyes from the sunlight as she looked up at him. His eyes were closed; his hair was messy and tucked behind his ears ... and those glasses... she'd throw them into a supernova the next time they passed one. She gave a content sigh, but he was hers and she was most definitely his ... so she'd have to make do with this impossible and ingenious time traveller. His free hand found hers; River glanced up to his welcoming smile. He closed his eyes once more and lent his head back against the Tardis door. He'd just have to make do with this high maintenance, adventure seeking, time traveller. He smiled to himself... and about time too.

"I still can't see it Doctor," she laughed as he got slightly more frustrated with her. Night had fallen, and he'd taken to pointing out the many stars that were shining brightly above them. He was still leaning back against the Tardis; River had positioned herself between his legs.

"Look," he sighed resting his chin on her left shoulder, over her right shoulder he was pointing skywards, "There!"

"Doctor... I can't see a thing," River insisted.

"Try these..." He took his sunglasses off and put them on her face carefully, "There... now you look as silly as I do," he chuckled.

"That'll never be possible," River grinned following the direction his finger was pointing, "Ohh... I see it! Oh Doctor that's beautiful!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah... see... they're functional too," he smiled slipping his arms around her waist. He buried his face into her soft curly hair and breathed in deeply, "Okay... You see that one?" he pointed once more as she leant back against him.

"Yes"

"I'm going to take you there some time... great people... great food and most importantly... lots of... old ...stuff... to have a look at"

"You mean stuff as old as you are...?" she pretended to sound shocked. He paused and stared at her,

"Don't be silly... nothing could be older than I am," his face broke into a cheeky smile, "Now... that one..." He pressed the side of his cheek against hers as he pointed, "... is where the Singing Towers are..."

"So we're going to see them?"

"Well... yes... eventually," he said quietly, "I need more time before that..."

"More time for what?"

"Sshh," he whispered pressing his face into her neck, "It's not important"

"Doctor..."

"River..."

She shuffled around so she could look into his eyes, they'd never looked so sad.

"...Spoilers," he breathed.

"You and your rules," she sighed shaking her head at him. Putting her hand up behind his head she gripped his hair quite tightly and pulled his face down to hers. The Doctor closed his eyes as her lips met his with a long deep kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

The Doctor tried to calm his breaths as River finally decided it was time to release him. He looked at her with mild surprise; though she looked as shocked as he did. With a reassuring smile he held her more tightly in his arms. Never before has he felt this way about anyone. Without really knowing who she was he felt as though he'd known her forever. He didn't feel superior with his vast knowledge of the universe, she knew equally if not more than he did, he respected that. He could count on River to be there, just as much as she could count on him to catch her every time she leapt out of a spaceship, or to come running after she'd written all over the oldest cliff face in the universe... in Old High Gallifreyan of all languages. He sighed,

"River..." he began.

"Hush," she whispered pressing a finger firmly to his lips. That man, he never knew when to be quiet. He slowly raised his hand to tangle his fingers in her soft hair. After laying a gentle kiss on her forehead he held her contently in his arms, watching the stars and enjoying the feeling of her being so close at last.

The Doctor gave a long and meaningful yawn before reaching for the empty soda bottles beside them.

"River...?" he whispered, "River we need to get going... River?" He strained his neck to catch a glimpse of her face. The exhausted Time Traveller had fallen asleep, right there, safely in the arms of her Doctor. He looked about in mild panic for anyone to help him. He looked back down to River, a thoughtful expression washing over his features.

"Oooft..." he panted after finally standing with her in his arms, "... definitely... more running..." he clicked his fingers and the Tardis door swung open slightly, he nudged it the rest of the way with his foot trying not to overbalance as he carried River inside. The Doctor was finally able to lay her down on one of the soft beds in one of the Tardis' many sleeping quarters. The Doctor sat beside her for a moment and stroked her hair gently; she was very beautiful when she wasn't ordering him about. He smiled to himself before finding his feet, after one last glance and a grin he turned out the light and left his angel to sleep.

He returned to the console working his way slowly around the controls, the last hint of his smile still lingered on his lips. He glanced a moment in the direction of where River was surely still sound asleep. Reaching down he pressed the blue stabilisers and allowed the Tardis to move silently back into space. Certain that the Tardis would just cruise peacefully and easily through the darkness he turned and sat on the small sofa in front of the controls. He absentmindedly bit his lip as his thoughts washed over him. He needed to avoid the trip to the Singing Towers with River for as long as he possibly could. Their time had just begun... their song... only just beginning to sing. He couldn't lose her to that library... that ridiculous library. He closed his eyes tightly and grimaced. He couldn't live through her death twice. He'd tear down all of time and space to prevent it. But could he really rely on his younger, inexperienced self to save the most important woman in all of time? He'd lived it... and the answer was crystal clear.

From his pocket he took out his old damaged sonic screwdriver and pondered over it for a short while twirling it elegantly between his long fingers. He knew what needed to be done. He just had no idea where to start. It would take a very long time to construct the screwdriver he'd seen in the library, especially from the mangled device he now held in his hand. Time was what he needed... which was the one thing he now found he no longer owned. He dropped the screwdriver loosely by his side and frowned, staring blankly at the centre of the console. Surely there was a way, a way to change it all, a way to save her. With his other hand he reached into his inside pocket and removed his new screwdriver, he studied it with interest before looking suspiciously at the Tardis console. His eyes moved between the two screwdrivers, his mind could practically be heard ticking. The Doctor got to his feet and moved to lean on the console with his elbows, a screwdriver in each hand. He pressed the button down firmly on his new screwdriver; it buzzed and lit up its usually green colour. Slowly he began to move them together, tip to tip.

"What are you doing?"

The Doctor nearly jumped out of his skin, dropping the damaged device into the console. He tried to catch it desperately but it had gone. Dropping to the floor he tried to see beneath the console, perhaps it had fallen through onto the floor. The Doctor jumped to his feet and turned around, new screwdriver in hand to face a still sleepy looking River.

"I...," he swallowed hard. In his mind he was ready to say. 'Oh nothing... just figuring out how to stop you dying in a deserted library ... which exists solely in a child's mind... the usual...' What came out was slightly different, "Errmm..." he mumbled, "I thought you were sleeping?"

"Not anymore," she yawned in reply. The Doctor considered her carefully. How long had she been standing there? She rubbed her hands together,

"Doctor it's cold in here..."

"I hadn't ... noticed... here," he removed his jacket and put it around her shoulders. River slipped her arms into it then wrapped them around his middle. She leant her head against his chest and let out a content sigh. The Doctor's his chin rested gently on her head. How was he going to get that damn screwdriver out of the console now? He rolled his eyes then closed them tightly in frustration. How could he have just... dropped it like that?

He rubbed his hands up and down River's back in an attempt to warm her up.

"You look shattered..." he said finally, "... I could do with a lie down... I'll keep you company"


	7. Chapter 7

"So you're inviting yourself to bed then...?" River smiled up at him.

"Well... I... I... Uhm... Yes... But... Well not necessarily... Not necessarily your bed..."

"... I never mentioned my bed Doctor..." She smiled widely as she left the Doctor tripping over his words and blushing a furious shade of red. He'd never in all his life encountered such a woman. She could make his blood boil just as easily as she could reduce him to fits of laughter. He took a step back to the console... now... if only he could salvage the screwdriver...

By attempting to save River's life he was going against every rule he'd ever lived by and every comment he'd made to his former companions...

"... it doesn't work like that... some events in time are supposed to happen... you can't go back and change the past," he voiced aloud in frustration, "What a load of rubbish... I mean... Hello... Time Lord... Lord of Time... Oncoming Storm... Time machine!" he cried waving his free hand at the Tardis, "Of course it works like that... Of course I... Ouch!" He snatched his hand back out of the console. He shook it wildly in the air before sealing his mouth over the scorch marks on his hand. He kicked the console in annoyance... a little too hard... He fell over, rolling around on the platform floor, one hand to his mouth, and the other holding his foot. Sometimes he was sure the Tardis just liked to mock him... stupid thing... half the time he wished he hadn't borrowed it ... without permission.

He ruffled his hair and sighed positioning himself back on the small sofa. Letting his braces fall from his shoulders he leaned back and stared up at the ceiling of the Tardis. Being brilliant was getting to be a real chore. After a moment the Tardis console spat out a steaming hot cup of Tea. The Doctor smiled taking hold of the handle.

"Thanks dear" He sipped it cautiously as he stood up. At least he could be understood occasionally. River was sat up writing in her diary when he entered her room.

"Spoilers I know," he whispered holding his hand up and sitting casually on the bed beside hers, "I'm not peeking" She closed it and tucked it carefully beneath her pillow and after putting the lid back on her pen she placed it on the small table beside her.

"So where are we now?" she asked quietly pulling her knees up to her chin and hugging them.

"I don't know... why are we whispering?" he whispered leaning forward towards her.

"I don't know..."

He held his cup out handle first towards her which she obediently took from him as he moved to sit next to her. With one foot firmly on the floor he stretched his other leg out on the bed beside her. He let his arm hang loosely around her shoulders.

"It's good tea..." he assured her watching her take a sip.

"You still don't know who I am to yet do you?"

"Not a clue... but you can travel with me anytime," he beamed. River smiled back up at him,

"Doctor..." she half whispered leaning up to put her lips against his ear, "... I want you to show me the stars..."

He closed his eyes smiling before looking straight into her shiny ones; "If you're quick" he replied leaping up and darting out to the console area. River finally caught up to him at the doors.

"Are you ready?" he asked unlatching the second door so as he could open them both simultaneously.

"Always," she breathed. The Doctor pulled the doors inwards and watched as River's eyes took in the beautiful sight before her. He'd looked outside those doors hundreds of times, there was nothing that could possibly interest him more than seeing River's amazed expression, able to see it all for the first time. He moved to stand behind her laying his hands gently on her hips.

"...You can... stand on the edge... to get a better view..." he said quietly as they shuffled forward slightly, "...Don't worry... I won't let you go..." River took hold of the door frame either side of her and leant out as far as she dared with the Doctor holding her safely in his grip.

"It's so beautiful..." she gasped watching as a star shot past them.

"It's not half as beautiful as you are..." he whispered in her ear before laying a gentle kiss on her neck.

"I could stand looking out here forever"

"Well... I'm not sure about that... forever is a long time..." he stood back as he took out his sonic screwdriver, "But I can...," he aimed out into the glittering darkness, "... do something else for you" He pressed the button firmly; the screwdriver extended to its full length and buzzed noisily, "Get me a jar..." he added leaning further out of the doorway.

Jar in hand River finally caught a glimpse of what was being pulled towards the Tardis. It lit up her face as the Doctor carefully settled it into the large glass Container River had fetched for him.

"A star," he said proudly, "But be careful... it's hot... and only keep it in a well ventilated area... or the light will go out" He placed it in her hands beaming at her, pride oozed from him. He'd never given anyone a star before.

"Sweetie it's..."

"...a star... I know," he beamed, "Good isn't it..."


	8. Chapter 8

They sat in the doorway of the Tardis, their legs swinging out over the edge, and between them on the floor sat the star.

"So is this what you do with your time?" River asked finally, "Float in space and steal stars?"

"Borrow..." he corrected, "...borrowed without permission. And a lot of time... yes... floating keeps me out of trouble... I tend to use the pool quite a lot... shame the books get so wet... oh well... come along Song... let's find us somewhere to explore...it can get a bit... boring up here"

River looked sadly after him; she knew she shouldn't feel hurt by his off the cuff remark. He'd seen so many things in his long life, sitting and chatting must be_ very_ boring and unimportant to this man. She got to her feet, gathered the glowing jar in her arms and gently closed the Tardis doors. Without warning a phone began to ring, her head darted in all directions in an attempt to place the phantom ringing. The Doctor reached casually onto the console and picked up the handset. In all her time piloting the Tardis she'd never noticed the phone sat there on the control system. She'd always assumed that he'd be cordless at this point in his time stream.

"... Obviously not..." she sighed marching her 'star in a jar' into her room.

"River?" she heard the Doctor calling her.

"Hmm?" she asked popping her head around the door. He was waving the phone around in the air.

"Road trip...? Thought I'd check in with you first," he smiled.

"Sure..." she shrugged turning and retreating into her room once more.

The Doctor threw the handset down and raced around the console with a new lease of life burning inside him. River sighed as she marked the next few pages of her diary sadly. Once she was done she flicked back over the pages they'd already covered together. Turning the pages she frowned realising that from every chapter... one page was torn out... missing... as though the events written on those pages had never took place. She closed the diary quickly her eyes darted from side to side as her mind ticked over.

"River..." she jumped. The Doctor's smiling face distracted her, "Come along Song," he beamed hand outstretched towards her. Letting the diary fall forgotten onto her pillow she took his hand and allowed herself to be led away... swept off her feet... by that man... that impossible man.

"Where...?"

"You'll see," he replied simply hurrying her towards the doors. They were on a grassy hillside overlooking a large dome-covered city. River stopped, taking in the purple sky and white buildings, cars flying over them to and from the city. She looked down checking her PDA, tapping away quickly. The Doctor rolled his eyes, "New Earth..." he sighed disapprovingly eying the PDA suspiciously. She continued to tap away without looking up, "Okay..." he snatched the PDA from her hands and tossed it over his shoulder, "Enough of that. Let's go"

"But Doctor...!" she protested looking over her shoulder for her PDA as he dragged her down the hillside towards the illuminated city.

"Lot's to do..." he half yelled over her protests.

"Doctor! Listen to me...!"

He stopped suddenly, her bumped into him hard, "What is it...?" he gasped as he caught his breath.

"On my PDA... it showed something here..."

"A something..? What kind of something?" he frowned.

"Well I don't know!" she cried, "You threw it!"

"Oh... well let's go see if we can find it then," he grinned before taking her arm and dragging her onwards, "Now... how do we get in?" They neared the edge of the dome, the Doctor stretched out his hand to touch the solid structure.

"Doctor... This doesn't feel right... We should get back in the Tardis... and leave," River insisted her voice shook slightly as she glanced nervously around them.

"Don't be silly..." he laughed ignoring her worried tone, "It's New Earth... what could possibly...?"

A blue light surrounded them. River shook her head in despair... too late to turn back now. They were instantly teleported to the central building, what would have been in any small town... the town hall. When the blue flash had subsided and their eyes adjusted to their new surroundings it was apparent that they were surrounded by numerous armoured guards. The Doctor assumed that the only smartly dressed, greying man standing before him was in fact the city's Prime Minister.

"I'm glad you came Doctor," he said sternly, "You always come running when people and cities are in danger. But perhaps... some journeys are best left untraveled. So I'm sorry Doctor..." The pair were grabbed roughly and restrained by the Guards.

"What?" the Doctor cried, "Why...?"

"For the greater good Doctor"

"How is this for the greater anything?"

The PM turned to the Guards holding River, "She won't be needed... Take her to be assimilated. The Doctor will remain alive, he's theirs now. Our agreement is almost fulfilled... our people will be free from this evil soon"

"What? ... Wait... Assimilated? Cybermen!" The Doctor fought against the iron grip of the Guards as River, putting up a good fight of her own, was dragged away.

"Doctor! ..." she cried, "Doctor! ... Doctor!" he screams became distant.

"Let her go! They don't want her! Let her go!" he yelled as the PM, whose head was hung, stood in silence.

"Take him to a holding cell," he said finally, he turned and left the Doctor to the mercy of the surrounding Guards.

"No!" the Doctor yelled, "River...! No...!"


	9. Chapter 9

The Doctor paced up and down the long narrow cell. A cold sweat coated him as he ran his fingers through his soaked hair. His usually smart appearance was ruined by his now dirty and torn jacket; the shoulder seam lay frayed and gaping. The only thing he could do was straighten his bow tie as he paced on.

"Damnit!" he yelled hitting the bars fiercely with his fists. His yell echoed around him and faded leaving only the constant, 'drip, drip, drip' to keep him company. His hands gripped the bars tightly until his knuckles turned white, "Think," he whispered pressing his cheek against the cold bars in front of him, "Think..." A bead of sweat fell from his brow onto the damp stone floor. He felt sick, sick and helpless. This was not a position he was used to being in... if you discounted the Pandorica scenario. He opened his eyes suddenly, as if someone had just turned the light on. He padded himself down hurriedly; a smile grew on his face. He delved into his inside pocket, how could he have possibly overlooked his faithful screwdriver?

"Brilliant..." he breathed, "... now..." he looked around the sealed cell, "...where's the lock...?" It soon dawned on the dazed Doctor that there were no locks, no apparent way in or out, "But how is that possible?" he puzzled rushing to the stone wall that occupied three quarters of the cell around him. His screwdriver buzzed, flashed and extended, he examined it carefully.

"Oooh," he murmured darkly, "That is absolutely very not good" Moving quickly to the opposite side of the cell he tested the bars with his screwdriver, passing it over every single edge. He checked the result once more, "... okay don't panic... do not panic," he tapped his forehead with the screwdriver, eyes clenched tightly shut, "... an impossible... prison..." Opening his eyes he spun on the spot looking all around the cell, "But why...?" His mind momentarily paused, his thoughts wandered to... to River. The Doctor shook his head, that woman jumped out of spaceships. She could handle herself; he had to trust that she could handle this. He began to pace once more tapping his temple with his screwdriver. He'd been sent to a cell to be held, so that he could be deleted by the Cybermen. Why would he be sent to a cell that was seemingly... undetectable? A buzz, crack and flash interrupted his train of thought. He spun to face the direction it had come from. His jaw dropped... his eyes were wide.

"How did you do that...?"

* * *

She struggled; she struggled until her muscles ached. Her flat soled boots scraped along the floor in protest as she was dragged further into darkness, further towards the screams. The corridors now were a long way away from the highly polished marble floors back in the hall. Dirty, damp concrete lined the floors coated in a layer of green mould. Finally the end of the corridor seemed in sight. A door, blue flashing lights shone beyond it, highlighting the frame.

"No..." she gasped panic taking over her, "Please! No!" A buzz, hiss and flash illuminated the corridor behind them suddenly. River felt her left arm being tugged backwards roughly, freed momentarily from the Guard holding her. He regained his grip of her immediately, still looking suspiciously down the empty corridor. River looked down at the wrist strap she was now wearing; surely she'd not had it on the whole time... had she? The sound of heavy metal footsteps made her look up at the now open door. A large robotic silhouette was stood facing them. It stepped mechanically out into the light. She didn't recall ever seeing a Cyberman before; this was certainly something to add to the diary if they managed to escape this almost inevitable fate. The screams were loud now, they pierced the air forcing her to screw her face as her ears tingled with the sound.

"You are not compatible," the Cyberman declared.

"Compatible?" she looked confused. As far as she knew ... Cybermen barely rejected anyone sent to be assimilated, "what do you mean?"

"You are not compatible," it repeated. River stared into its emotionless face. They were much bigger than she'd imagined. She took mental note of the emblem stamped into its chest, the receivers which made up the head... the gun... wow... the gun that was attached to its arm, "You will be deleted" It raised the gun to her face.

"Not yet," she replied calmly. With all the strength she could manage she pulled her right arm free and slammed her hand down on the button on the vortex manipulator. In a flash she'd disappeared. The Guards looked to each other holding thin air, a cold sweat formed over them as they looked nervously at the Cyberman.

"Failure will not be accepted," the robot declared.


	10. Chapter 10

With a buzz, crack and flash her feet found ground once more. It had been a bumpier ride than usual. Perhaps it needed repairing. She looked up at the back of a very familiar brown tweed jacket and smiled. He turned and stared open mouthed at her,

"How did you do that...?" he asked. She raised her arm showing off the vortex manipulator.

"Easy..."

"Impossible," he replied raising his left arm, his sleeve slipped down slightly revealing the Vortex manipulator on his wrist. River looked at him confused, and then looked again at her wrist strap. She stood frozen and puzzled as the Doctor approached her; an intrigued expression was upon his face. Slowly he stretched his left arm towards hers, which she was still holding up. The manipulators sparked and cracked as they were brought together.

"It's the same one alright, at two different points in its time stream... funny... I seem to remember this happening somewhere before..." he looked up thoughtfully with a cheeky grin.

"Doctor," River interrupted quickly, "How?"

"I don't know... how did you get here? ... How did you know where I was?"

"I... I didn't... I just warped to wherever it was set to... and I came here" The Doctor removed his wrist strap hurriedly. She watched him in confusion, "Doctor... what are you doing? How did I get to you?"

"I brought you to me," he said simply as he turned his sonic screwdriver on to the manipulator, "This device creates a wormhole in time and space. Exactly like the Tardis does... except... by pressing the same button... you can go back through the same wormhole you came from... which is how you ended up back here... now..." he handed his Vortex manipulator to her, "Go..."

"Go?"

"Yes... go... go and give that to yourself," he replied simply, "Don't be seen... and come straight back... I don't trust the battery power on those things..." He turned back to the bars on the cell, "I need to figure out what this is..."

River let out a harsh sigh, as if her day hadn't been tough enough already. He couldn't just once appreciate that could he? But then he was the Doctor and that was just, his way. He did what needed to be done... without reason or question or a worry about anyone else... River pressed the button down firmly and vanished in a flash.

The Doctor sighed and gripped the bars to steady himself, at least she was okay. He wasn't sure he could live with her being assimilated. After a moment he'd gained more control and, wiping the onset of a tear from his eye, he pressed the button on his screwdriver and continued to work. A familiar flash of light and a sharp crack announced River's return.

"Excellent... here!" he handed her the screwdriver, "Tell me... what do you make of that?"

River examined it carefully, "Electromagnetic field surrounding this whole room. Blocking signals in and signals out," she replied efficiently passing it back.

"Yes. But. Why?" he tucked the screwdriver swiftly back into his pocket and took a step closer to the main wall pressing the palm of his hand against it, "Someone or something is concealing this prison..."

"Well... to hide you of course," River said suddenly, "Why hand over the one being capable of stopping the Cybermen?" He turned suddenly to face her,

"Why try to assimilate you? ... Why not just leave you here with me? Why not take my screwdriver? ... Why lock me away in the first place then?"

"I'm not the Doctor. I'm not the one capable of escaping a prison which technically doesn't exist. I'm not going to stand out there and save New Earth from the Cybermen. I'm just an occupational hazard to them. They need to be seen to be doing everything possible to save the people here, by appearing to give you up to the Cybermen, the people stay calm and everything goes according to plan. You escape quietly and do your... your 'thing' "

The Doctor frowned at her suspiciously, "You're good," he decided finally.

"Yeah..." she grinned changing the settings on the Vortex manipulator, "I know" She held her arm out expectantly, "Got a 'thing' in mind?" He grinned placing his hand over the wrist strap. With a press of a button they'd vanished leaving the hidden prison behind.

"Ohhh!" the Doctor exclaimed, "Fresh air!" he breathed in deeply, "Alright... now go to the Tardis," he pointed at the blue box stood proudly metres away from them.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"River..." he said in a warning tone. Her eyebrows twitched into a slight frown before she turned and ran up to the Tardis.

"Alright," he breathed resetting his screwdriver, "Where did you go...?" he pointed the screwdriver to the ground around him the grass was long and glowed as the screwdriver's light passed over it. It began to screech as he discovered what he was looking for, "Ohh you beauty!" he cried picking River's PDA out from its grassy resting place. With one last backward glance at the giant dome protected city he broke into a sprint to the Tardis and practically threw himself inside. River was waiting for him, "right then..." he tossed her PDA at her before tearing his ruined jacket off, "Use that... on that," he pointed at the console, "I want to know everything... what's floating around up there... how many ships... how many Cybermen... tell me everything" Without questioning him River rushed to the console and connected the damaged PDA to it. She tapped away glancing up occasionally to watch the Doctor repairing his damaged appearance. His fingers flicked through his hair correcting his side fringe, and then promptly repositioning his bow tie.

"River..." he demanded impatiently as he untwisted his red braces.

"A Cybership is in orbit"

"How many?" he asked

"A Cybership"

"A Cybership," he scoffed, "What do you mean 'a' Cybership?" he strode over to join her at the console, "Just one?"

"That's what I said..."

"I've met the Cybermen on countless occasions... they don't just send 'one' ship," he snatched the PDA from her hands and examined the screen. He hit it hard against the edge of the console. The screen flickered off and on but the result remained the same, "Why one ship? What could they possibly do with one ship?"

River gave him a slightly uneasy stare, she knew exactly what he was thinking; and it made her heart sink.

"Let's go and have a look shall we?" he beamed clapping his hands and rubbing them together in excitement.


	11. Chapter 11

"Sweetie... is that a good idea?" River asked. Her eyebrows rose as she waited for the answer she secretly dreaded.

"I'm curious... Why only one ship?" the Doctor replied striding around the console twisting buttons, cranking switches and pulling levers, "why this planet? The population here has hardly grown and established yet... The Cybermen could take on huge planets with a hundred times as many people... why this little one? Assimilation of this planet would hardly leave a dent in the human population... you lot... well... you're off on all sorts of planets... in your millions... millions. I'll never get done saving you lot... you're everywhere!"

River clung to each word attempting to keep up with his erratic train of thought. She gripped a rail tightly as the Tardis shuddered into action. The Doctor sprung around continuing to pull the controls of the Tardis in a whole manner of directions.

"Okaaay then... let's see what we have here" River had hardly noticed the Tardis land, and as she shook herself from her thoughts the Doctor was already halfway out the door, "Stay there," he called, "I won't be long"

A large part of her wanted to run out all guns blazing at those desensitised tin cans. An even bigger part of her trusted and respected the lunatic about to confront them. River reached up and switched on the monitor, he didn't say she couldn't watch.

"Come on then!" the Doctor yelled bursting into the central control room of the Cybership, "The Doctor will see you now!" On board the Tardis River shook her head in despair, who in the universe had taught him that line? He found himself facing only five Cybermen in the, what seemed to be almost deserted Cybership.

"You are the Doctor," a metallic voice confirmed.

"Oh good... you remember me..."

"You will be deleted"

"...oh please..." the Doctor chuckled, "Not until you've answered my questions... now... you lot. One ship... what's that about? Where are the rest of you?"

"You are the Doctor. You will be deleted"

"Ohh sing a different Song," he glanced directly at River through the Tardis screen. She felt slightly unnerved but continued to watch on, "There's a reason you're 'boldly' assimilating this incredibly small population... What's wrong with a class five planet? I thought you were supposed to be 'feared'... can't you handle more than a few hundred humans? And of course... you can't assimilate everyone... not everyone is compatible here"

"The universe was deleted. Cyberships did not restore to full capacity"

"Full capacity...? The Pandorica restored everything... the light... from the Pandorica exploded everywhere... in every time... all at once"

"Parallels touched. Cracks formed. The Cyberships fell. The work of the Doctor, the elite have fallen. You will be deleted"

"Oh that's good... that's very good. Cyberships fell through the cracks... ceased to exist... wiped from history. Any ship brought through from a parallel would be restored on the opposite side of the cracks... the void between words... and your ship... the last ship of the Cybermen. You're rebuilding an army! Here... now..."

"Cyberships will be restored to full capacity" the Cyberman insisted in the same monotonous tone.

"So what... you're just going to assimilate the people here and run off with a readymade army...," the Doctor ran his fingers through his hair in mild frustration, "... I won't let that happen..."

The 'lead' Cyberman stepped forward clenching its fist in front of its chest, "You will be deleted"

"Seriously now..." the Doctor looked back again directly at River, "Sing a different Song" River looked at the screen in confusion; she looked right into those brilliant eyes. If only she could see into that brilliant mind.

"The assimilated will awaken. The Doctor will fall"

River held the PDA tightly in her hands, what did he mean? A different song...?

She let out a frustrated cry as she darted around the console looking for anything that the Doctor could be referring to. She put her hands to her head, gripping her hair tightly and she struggled to think. River took hold of the screen, making sure the Doctor wasn't about to be deleted. Her eyes took in the Cybermen just as they had done when she'd been taken to be assimilated. They were huge... they were metal... they... they wore the seal of the Cybermen...

"Activate the sentry"

River paused having heard the statement, "Activate the sentry..." she repeated slowly. The Doctor remained still as the four other robots returned to their stations to work.

River began tapping away at her PDA, "Sing... a different... song," she murmured. It took her less than a minute but she found it. The Cybership was transmitting a signal down towards the planet. River looked up again at the monitor examining the receivers that made up the head of the robots. If she could scramble the signal she could prevent the Cybermen down on the planet from being activated.

"Come on... River..." the Doctor muttered to himself watching the robots enhancing the signal they were projecting down to New Earth. His hands were slowly balling into fists as he grew more and more concerned that River hadn't gotten the message.

Her arms moved so quickly around the console they ached but she had to be quick. The only way to interrupt the transmission was by using the Tardis; her PDA was in no fit condition to do any more for her. The pressure she felt under made her want to scream. She'd kill that man when he got back... if he didn't get himself deleted before then. Tiny beads of sweat began to form on her brow; she frowned with concentration as her work approached its end. With a last burst of energy she slammed the final lever down with such a force she thought for sure that it would break off the console. River threw her head up to watch on the screen.

"Ahh," she cried screwing her face up in pain as the Tardis erupted into an over powering sonic buzzing noise. She fell backwards, the Tardis projected the sound with such a force that her legs gave way beneath her.

"Gahh!" the Doctor yelled clamping his hands firmly to his ears and dropping to his knees in agony, "River!" he tried to yell over the buzzing. He struggled to open his eyes, but as he did he noticed the Cybermen twitching and sparking; smoke billowing from their metal seams, "Stop it! Shut it off! Riverrrr!"


	12. Chapter 12

The Doctor struggled fiercely against the shear strength of the sound waves crashing into him. Everything around him was vibrating with incredible force. He swayed and stumbled as he slowly stood upright. Daring to take one hand away from his ear he somehow managed to get hold of his sonic screwdriver. He winced and doubled over in agony at the vibrations surging through his body. It would surely kill him if this continued. He feebly pointed the screwdriver at the Tardis door which juddered open reluctantly. With the fear of falling and being unable to stand again the Doctor shuffled his feet across the floor making slow progress towards the open door. He finally fell against the doorframe; the vibrations were much stronger in here. At the base of the Tardis console he could see River's curly head of hair. Unable to stand she'd curled into a ball, hands firmly over her ears, her eyes tightly shut. The Doctor fell inside his legs no long able to fight against the strong vibrations. He aimed at the console with his sonic device, the lever released and all sonic noises ceased. For a moment he laid there, his body adjusting to the lack of vibrations and absence of the immense pressure he'd been under.

"River...?" he called wearily at last, "... Are you alright?"

"...Yes," came a weak response.

"Good... Good...," he gasped pushing his hair back, "Never do that ... again... the universe clearly isn't ready... for a sonic Tardis" He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. Never in his life had he felt such relief. His hearts couldn't cope with this kind of excitement anymore. River was just the kind of woman who'd be bringing a whole heap of excitement into his life. There was never a dull second with her and he was sure he'd never have another minute's peace again. He was learning all this the hard way of course. Without bothering to stand he kicked the Tardis door closed and laid there a few minutes more. What a day it had been...

* * *

"River...?" he asked quietly stepping tentatively up onto the console platform. She remained curled in a ball, her hands and arms shielding her face. His eyes, slightly wide and saddened looked as though they may break into silent tears, "River..." he repeated quietly kneeling beside her. He reached out to touch her shoulder; she withdrew, shaking terribly, "It's me... River...It's me"

"Oh Doctor I don't know what went so wrong," her voice shook uncontrollably, "I didn't mean for that to happen... It... It just..." by this time she'd finally sat upright. The Doctor's hand, now on her shoulder, calmed her only slightly.

"It's okay," he breathed as she hugged him tightly burying her face in his shirt. He kissed her hair and gave her a gentle squeeze, "It's okay"

The Doctor stared at the console, a long, blank, hollow stare, "Hey," he whispered pressing his lips to her ear, "Let's get out of here," he kissed her forehead and got up leaving her still sat in shock and silence.

He began his usual slog around the console deep in thought until he felt a presence behind him. He paused and turned around; it was River.

"I hate you sometimes!" she yelled shoving him hard against the console. He fell back over the controls in shock,

"Ah," he winced hitting the back of his head as he slid into an ungraceful heap on the floor. Through his blurred vision he caught sight of her marching away into the depths of the time machine, "ouch," he murmured clutching the back of his head. He checked his hand for any signs of blood; his face screwed up in pain. Shaking and disorientated he stumbled up, falling and steadying himself on the rail surrounding the platform.

"And who else have you got! ?" he yelled, "Who else in this universe would put up with you! ?" Shaking his head he put a hand up massaging his temples with his middle finger and thumb. He turned back and lent over the controls, "Nightmare..." he mumbled, "Absolute... nightmare" He tapped his fist on the edge of the console. He winced, suffering a shooting pain where he'd hit the console with the back of his head, "Damnit!" he cried unleashing his anger on the controls with a fit of kicks and punches. Satisfied that his _mild_ temper had subsided enough he turned around wiping the thin film of sweat from his brow. River was stood watching him, her arms tightly folded and her eyes fixed in a steady glare.

"All that anger Doctor," she leaned forward moving her lips carefully so that he wouldn't miss a word, "All... that... darkness" He stared back at her, with a flick of her hair she turned and left him alone, hopefully, to have a good think about himself. A small clatter drew his attention away from her retreating to her room. His eyes searched all around the base of the console, but found nothing. Shrugging his shoulders he casually pulled the large lever on the console which shot the Tardis towards the stars, and towards their next stop. Flopping back on the sofa he hoped that the next time he laid eyes on River she'd be in a less hostile mood. He'd had many female companions on board the Tardis, but not one could compare to her. She was definitely something else.


	13. Chapter 13

It took three days, two planets and trip to space Florida before the time travelling pair were back on speaking terms. River burst into the Tardis sporting a pair of overly large sunglasses, an open pink Hawaiian shirt, white vest top, 'the shortest shorts she'd ever wear' and luminous green pool shoes.

"Sweetie, hurry up!" she called casually beginning work on the settings for the next trip, "Sweetie!"

"Alright!" the Doctor's voice yelled, "Why don't you try walking in these" a minute or two later he waddled into view of the doorway wearing large pink flippers, his green flowery shirt flapped in the breeze that was flowing into the Tardis. He dragged the waistband of his extra large Bermuda shorts up... yet again, "... here..." he announced before wedging himself between the doorframes. River sighed in exasperation,

"Take the duck off...first!" she cried. He looked down at the duck themed rubber ring tightly around his middle.

"Oh..." he exclaimed, "I forgot about that... I wonder if that child wants it ba..."

"Doctor! ... Off! ... Now!" He dropped the rubber ring down to his ankles and hurriedly wiggled out of the pink flippers. After shoving them roughly outside with his foot he shut the door.

He strode straight past the waiting River Song completely misinterpreting her fond gaze, "I'm changing... don't worry," he insisted waving his hands around.

* * *

He returned finally, tucking his screwdriver safely into his jacket pocket, "Now... I need to find out what is making the Tardis... rattle"

"Ohh!" River groaned in frustration, "You've been complaining about that 'rattle' for days now! I can't hear anything!"

"What would you know?"

"You taught me how to pilot this thing! I know every inch of that console! I know every shake, rattle and roll of this damn machine! It's not making a noise!"

"It's making a noise..." he said in a tone which cut any further conversation dead, "something fell from the console to the floor..." he lay flat against the floor and tilted his head up to examine underneath the console. Using his screwdriver to demonstrate to River, "The gravity within the Tardis gravitates to the floor... except... if it crash lands... but it's not doing that right now... I don't think... So assuming it came from inside... whatever it is... should be here... on the floor" He got up onto his knees looking around hopelessly.

"Have you checked down there?" she asked pointing down beneath the glass floor to the complicated workings at the heart of the time machine. He lay once more flat to the floor, nose pressed firmly against the glass.

"No...," he replied, "... good eye Song," he sprung up to his feet.

"I don't understand Doctor..."

"You aren't supposed to understand River," he replied making his way below the console floor, "It's a... there's an earth phrase... it's... a... a man thing. Machines and... Stuff... I'll handle it"

River was completely despairing of this man right now. She pulled a frustrated face at him and made gestures as if strangling him before taking off to get out of the beachwear she was sporting. She tied up her curly hair as she went. The Doctor watched her until she was out of sight, before sternly ducking below the floor. His eyes swept the area as he crouched low to move around, holding onto any bar or group of wires to steady himself. Had he known exactly what he was looking for things would have seemed a lot easier. When he finally laid eyes on what had clearly caused all the rattling his hearts nearly stopped. Crouching lower he reached further underneath the complicated mechanisms, his fingers curled around the familiar looking object. He gripped it tightly before turning it over and over in his hands, not quite believing what he was seeing. It had been swallowed up by the Tardis console, rattled and shook and exposed to all sorts of power surges during their flights, and here it was, repaired and exactly how he remembered it. The screwdriver he'd given to River to use in the library. He sat down to save himself from falling down in shock; he continued to turn it over in his hands.

"Impossible..." he murmured pushing his hair back, "Ooh," he seemed to recall a section in which River's neural relay was embedded into the screwdriver. He removed the tiny hatch only to reveal an empty space waiting to be filled, "ah... don't do all the work will you..." he grumbled replacing it and looking up at the console in annoyance. It was better than nothing he supposed returning to his crouching position; he tucked the reformed device into his pocket.

"Is everything alright down there sweetie?" River's voice called. He jumped from his thoughts hitting his head hard as he stood up too soon.

"Ah... ouch... yes!" he cried, "Just ... Great!" River lent on the rail of the platform grinning at his clumsiness. She closed her eyes for a minute feeling like a little school girl. She couldn't believe she was here, finally, flying the Tardis, exploring worlds, with him, her Doctor, all hers. Who knew... one day he may just return the favour for all the looking out for him she did. He may even go as far as to save her life. River shook her head,

"Don't be silly," she told herself quietly.


	14. Chapter 14

"I didn't think that this was possible..." River hung onto the top of the outside of Tardis, her body floated about easily behind her.

"Of course it's possible," the Doctor replied standing in the open doorway looking up at her.

"Yes but... why aren't you floating away?" she protested.

"We've been over this Song... don't ask stupid questions... There's gravity in here...and not out there. Let's not over complicate this already seemingly complicated scenario... again..."

River pulled herself back down and swung lightly into the doorway, "I need a word with you..." she said eying him suspiciously.

"Oh..." he sighed half heartedly, "what about?"

"Our diary"

"_Our diary_," he scoffed, "_Your_ diary"

"Our diary," she said firmly, "And there's pages missing from it" He didn't respond as he closed the Tardis doors one after the other, "Doctor... have you taken the pages?"

"Of course not," he replied indignantly, "Are you sure that they're even missing? Were they even there to begin with?"

"I'll show you..." River insisted marching to the console. The diary was resting amongst the controls. She thrust it into his hands, "The last page... of every chapter I've written is missing," she turned to each of the sections in turn, "There's a part of every encounter... completely gone" He ran his fingers down the ragged edges of the missing pages.

"River these could have fallen out... the paper is very old you know" She shook her head as she snatched the diary back out of his hands.

"I know torn out pages when I see them Doctor" He smiled slightly as she turned her back to him.

"Check everywhere for them... if they're still missing... then maybe we'll have a bit of a ... a reverse trip until you find them again..."

"If you've taken them..."

"River... do you know what happens when you read books from your future?"

"No... tell me," she frowned. He leaned down to put his face into hers.

"... spoilers..." he whispered loudly. She punched his shoulder hard.

"I do hate you sometimes"

"Of course you don't... now..." he took the diary from her and set it back on the console, "I'm bored... let's go somewhere... do something..."

"It's Sunday," she replied simply leaning against the console.

"What's that got to do with...?"

"You don't land on Sundays... They're boring," she added tilting her curly head of hair to one side as she looked at him.

"Oh... right... well... Uh..."

"Come on. I know what you'll like"

* * *

"I'm not sure about that you know..." he mumbled before stuffing another custard-coated fish finger into his mouth. He chewed for a moment eyes still narrowed. River sat at the wooden table opposite him leaning over her diary as she added a new chapter in blue ink. She looked up; her eyes followed his line of vision casually. She watched the water rippling and swishing in the gentle movement created by the orbiting Tardis.

"Wasn't it always there?" she asked reaching to take a fish finger and dipping it in the large bowl of custard between them.

"A swimming pool... in a kitchen... give me a break...," the Doctor scoffed, "... It used to be in the library..."

"And that was better was it...?" River continued to write while the Doctor continued to eat.

"Well... bit of a soggy read..." he replied between chews, "I was thinking... we should go to Earth... 20th Century...? Maybe...?"

"... You're not having a fez..." she replied flatly.

"Fez's are cool..." he sulked stuffing another fish finger into his mouth.

"The only reason you still have that bow tie on is because I allow it..." she flicked her hair out of her face and turned the page to begin a new side.

"Bow ties are..."

She looked up at him with a faint smile on her lips, "... cool?" she finished, "... so choose one or the other... but together, quite frankly... they're hideous"

He frowned at the half eaten fish finger in his hand, "How long are you planning on staying?" he asked before opening his mouth wide and throwing it in. Cheeks filled out, he chewed, waiting patiently for her reply. She looked up, beginning to respond but promtly changing her mind, "I don't mind!" he insisted suddenly spraying the table with blobs of custard and fish. He wiped the table hurriedly with his sleeve, silently cursing himself as he did. A loud beeping alarm broke the awkward moment. Their heads darted up,

"What's that?" River asked closing her diary and getting quickly to her feet.

"Tardis radar... something must be heading straight at us..." he leapt to his feet and led the way to the console room. Grabbing the screen he pulled it around, "Ohh... that is... very not good...," he started tapping away on the typewriter keys. He checked the screen once more, "...Just as I thought... that's... definately very not good"

"What's wrong? What is it?"

He stopped and turned to her, index fingers pressed firmly against his temples, his eyes tightly shut, "Did I ever tell you about a Christmas I had a few years ago... big ship... Angels...? Lots of people...? No...?"

"...no"

"Remind me to tell you that story..." he turned back to the console rapidly pulling and pushing and pressing and twisting everything within reach, "River... Hold on tight..."


	15. Chapter 15

The impact had been catastrophic; the last thing River remembered was being thrown about in a shower of blue splinters.

"River!" the Doctor cried from underneath a large chunk of Tardis. Hearing a loud tapping beneath him he shuffled to look down beneath the glass floor. River was stood looking up at him, hands on her hips, "What are you doing down there?" he asked indignantly pushing the debris from on top of him, "I could have died up here... save yourself why don't you... don't worry about me," He stood up brushing the dust and wood splinters from him.

"Well that's just brilliant isn't it...!" he cried waving his arms around, "Just what it needed... a big... hole!"

River joined him in examining what exactly had crashed into the Tardis.

"Doctor... Is that a...?"

"...a Dodgem car..." he sighed in disbelief as he stared at the bright purple and yellow car on its side half hidden underneath the ruins of the time machine.

"Doctor... what in the name of sanity have we crashed into?"

Climbing out through the hole that the Dodgem had created it soon became clear to them. A large wheel loomed up out of the darkness, an array of tent shapes surrounded it, flags strung merrily between them flapping in the wind.

"It's a carnival!" he exclaimed, "HaHaa! Look at it...! A travelling... space... carnival! ... I haven't seen one of these in... Years"

"How did we hit a carnival?" River frowned.

"Oh they travel at alarming speed... schedules to keep... I didn't think any of these still existed" He turned to view the hole in the side of the Tardis, "What... a... beauty!" he exclaimed.

"Hey you!" a deep voice yelled over what apparently seemed like a megaphone. Spotlights darted over the time travellers. The Doctor turned and raised his hand to shield his eyes, looking up towards the lights.

"Halloo!" the Doctor cried waving his arm around wildly, "You crashed into my blue box! Any help down here...? Hallooo!"

In front of his face suddenly flew a hovering megaphone, "Whatta doin' here?" the voice from it yelled loudly, it echoed around them.

"You crashed into my time machine!" the Doctor cried standing to one side. His hair was blowing about in the rough breeze, he pushed it out of his face as he pointed, "There... you see... a big hole in my blue box!"

"Time machine? Only wealthy folks own them!"

"I'm a Time Lord!" the Doctor explained still shouting over the wind noise.

"Time Lords are extinct we was told"

"I'm the last one! I'm the Doctor"

"Last one? Don't move sec"

They stood confused for a minute or two, River gave him a meaningful look, to which he responded with a casual shrug of his shoulders, "Exciting enough for you?" he asked in best sarcastic tone.

"Doctor... over there," she nudged him, his eyes followed the direction in which she was pointing. He squinted through the bright lights just able to make out a short, squat figure waddling towards them. He was wearing a very dusty and tattered top hat and tails, the tails were worn and frayed clearly due to being constantly dragged along the floor. The man waddled right up to the Doctor the top of his hat barely came high enough to tickle the Time Lord's ears.

"Last one you say? Like a one of a kind sorta deal"

"You could say that..."

"And you've come to join us... lotsa folks would pay a fortune t'see a Time Lord"

"Uh sadly not... no"

Without warning the spotlights began to fly around quickly, a whizzing alarm promptly accompanied it. It seemed to terrify the short man stood before him. The Doctor eyed his pale face with suspicion before turning his head once more skywards in search of the cause.

"C'mon we gotta get inside" The short man turned and began to scuttle off in the direction he'd come from. The Doctor instantly began to follow, River's strong grip held him back slightly.

"Doctor... what about the Tardis?"

"Don't worry it just needs time to repair itself... a day or two and we'll be on our way... look" She turned around, already yellow time energy was surrounding the hole. He grabbed her hand, interlocking his fingers with hers as he pulled her swiftly after the strange, short man. He'd entered a small dirty looking red and white stripy tent. Inside was tiny with only a circular steel rail indicating the presence of steep spiral steel steps leading down into the heart of the carnival ship. It didn't look particularly inviting she had to admit but River Song took the initiative and led the way onto the first few steps.

"As long I don't have to meet a clown..." the Doctor muttered behind her feeling his way by loosely letting his hand slide over the thin railing. River tutted loudly shaking her head, he'd been locked away in the Pandorica by all of his enemies combined, and_ still_ managed to get away, and yet the thought of a clown made him withdraw like a terrified puppy.

"Some _oncoming storm_ you're turning out to be," she whispered over her shoulder disdainfully. The Doctor rolled his eyes in annoyance, "... and don't you roll your eyes at me..." she added without turning around. Reaching the bottom of the steps the Doctor found himself even more interested and intrigued, the ship was a lot bigger than he'd imagined. Caravans and motor homes from every period of time imaginable were lined up as far as his eyes could see. Kneeling down and setting his hand on the artificial grass he smiled, nothing had changed since he'd last been on board a space carnival.

"I'm Teddy by the way. I own the carnival," the familiar New York accent explained as the short man from the surface waddled up to them.

"River Song," the Doctor said side stepping slightly as he introduced River, "And I'm the Doctor... tell me Teddy... Why the lock down?"

"Sheesh I've owned this place for a good two turns now... it's been this way since I took over the business from my old man. An it was this way when he took over from his old man. Ya don't ask questions Doctor... ya just follow the rules"

"So you don't know... Does that not seem... a bit... weird to you?"

"Look you guys are here now. I can't let ya go up top 'til the alarm goes again okay... make yourself at home here... then ya gotta leave" with a last nervous look Teddy retreated disappearing into the mass of trailers.

The Doctor and River looked at each other, the excited glint in his eye reminded River of why he wasn't allowed to go anywhere alone. They were absolutely guaranteed to get into trouble on this ship... at least it didn't come as a shock to her anymore.


	16. Chapter 16

"What's the plan?" she asked with a smile, her hand already removing the PDA from her belt.

"Something on this ship has got everybody scared... and I'm going to find out what... Come along Song... Let's meet the locals... See what they have to say about all this... _lock down _business" River nodded in agreement, following him as he made his way into the jungle of homes.

"Here take this, in case we have to split up," she added nudging his arm. He turned around and looked down at her hand, "Spare communicator..." The Doctor took it and thrust it into his jacket pocket roughly.

"Good thinking... now... where do you want to start?" he stopped still, the realisation of exactly how many inhabitants the ship was carrying had just dawned on him.

"Pssssst! Hey you two!" came a loud whisper. They turned sharply to their right where a head wearing a stetson hat was poking out of a very western looking carriage, "C'mere!" an arm extended from inside waving frantically for them to venture nearer.

"Let's start over here then," River replied shortly slowly making her way towards the stranger. The Doctor watched her for a second or two before following her with a smile. A woman with a sense of adventure as big as his; meant he had to less work than usual.

"Whatcha doin' out there? You gotta be inside fer the lock down. C'mon in" River and the Doctor looked to each other in mild suspicion before climbing up into the carriage. Inside was stiflingly warm and very small and cramped. The Doctor felt his hair brush against the top of the doorframe as he stepped inside after River. He looked around biting his lip and absentmindedly putting his hands in his pockets. Finally upon realising he couldn't see the figure that had gestured for them to enter he lowered his line of vision. They were the shortest people the Doctor had seen in a while. Not even half his height; the couple were dressed in typical western attire in matching coffee and cream colours, everything matched even their worn brown leather boots. Their dark hair was the same shoulder length, slightly greasy; and his bushy beard extended down to hide his collar.

"... Hi..." the Doctor managed finally plunging them into an even more awkward silence as the couple stared blankly back at him. He bit his lip once more, his mind ticking slowly over all the human _chit chat_ he'd acquired on his travels, "I'm the Doctor," he decided on at last; his safest line.

"I'm Billy... Bill to me buddies," the short man replied tilting his stetson back slightly his friendly blue eyes shone as he spoke, "And this here is my wife Marie"

"River Song," the Doctor added waving a casual hand in River's direction, "Tell me..."

"She your wife?"

"No! Oh... I mean no... no... no we're not married," he panicked instantly, his ears reddened as he nervously avoided River's eyes. The awkward silence took hold once more; the only sound was the steady tapping from River as she continued working on her PDA. The Doctor rocked backwards and forwards in his almost worn out boots, eyes scanning the one roomed home with interest taking in the old pots and pans and trinkets probably collected from their travels. He put a hand up to scratch lightly behind his ear before turning to River, "Do you have to tap so loudly?" he demanded.

"Well if you hadn't broken it I wouldn't need to press so hard!" River snapped back. The Doctor clenched his mouth shut tightly, his eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Fine..." he said delving into his pocket, "... Hand it over then" He withdrew his screwdriver and held out his free hand towards River. She slammed the PDA into his open palm He began to work on the PDA, the green light lit up his stern features and the buzzing noise filled the room.

"Witchcraft!" Billy cried cowering behind his plump wife.

"See," the Doctor sighed looking up at River, "You humans... Travelling through space and time in a carnival... No questions asked... A Sonic screwdriver comes out and it's instantly witchcraft... I'll never understand you lot... never... You should have been there at the Salem witch trials... they tried to tie me to a stake after I helped them to get rid of a three legged banshee... never again" He looked back down at the PDA finally deciding that it had undergone enough sonic-ing, "Alright Billy," he continued tossing the PDA to River, "Why can't we go outside?"

"It's the rules," Billy replied simply, "If you go outside when it's lock down... you don't ever come home... All those home out there... they aint all bein' lived in right now Doctor... folks just vanish, don't come back... folks start to get too curious" River's eyes looked up from her screen; her hands paused as she listened with a new found interest.

"And we all know where curiosity got the cat," River stated calmly turning her head in the Doctor's direction.

"_Vanish_," the Doctor scoffed, "There's nowhere to go... and it's impossible to fall off one of these so they must be somewhere" He rushed to the small window pushing the tiny curtain out of the way, "Do you ever hear anything during lock downs Billy? Noises...? Unexplainable... sounds?" His eyes scanned the still and silent surroundings before he dropped the curtain and turned around quickly.

"... no"

"Well tonight I want you to listen... every noise... every time someone sneezes I want you to write it down..."

"Where are you going?"

The Doctor jumped the short drop out onto the soft artificial grass; landing softly with an exaggerated bend of his knees, "We are going to have a look around," he grinned holding his arms out as River jumped lightly down to join him. Taking hold of her hand tightly he looked back up to the bewildered looking western couple, "Don't worry... we'll be back," he added brightly.


	17. Chapter 17

"Ouch... you're on my... get off! ... Is that...? Is that your hand?"

"Yes..."

"Why is it on my...?"

"I was trying to get your arm Song... Is it not...?"

"Well it clearly isn't my arm is it !"

"Oh... I thought... never mind..." The Doctor rolled onto his back looking up at the underside of the long caravan that they'd crawled underneath. It was the fourth one they'd been under and already River was beginning to tire of the lack of information she was being provided with. As once more the green sonic light lit up their faces she sighed loudly in exasperation.

"Why are we doing this? We should be out there investigating," she complained. The Doctor paused in mid-sonic, releasing the button, he turned to her.

"These homes were lived in at one time or another so there's probably a psychic imprint left which we can read from and any information about what's going on here will be handy... all houses have ghosts River... remember that... just ghosts... memories... nothing more... besides... do you want to get caught by whatever is out there?" He let out a long sigh upon deciding that his sentence was over. As he was about to continue extracting the information he needed the already dim lights went out plunging them into complete darkness. River's hand instinctively clamped onto the Doctor's tightly, "Sshh," he whispered before rolling over; he started to make his way towards the edge of the caravan. River tried to pull him back, the last thing they needed was to disappear like the people before them, "I need to see," he insisted wriggling his way along the floor. Scrambling after him River shuffled to take her place beside him squinting out into the darkness. It was impossible now to distinguish between all the motor homes, in fact in was impossible to see more than a few inches in front of their faces. She held her PDA out in front of her, the screen lit up her pale and worried face; she tried as best she could to type silently, "No!" the Doctor hissed pressing the illuminated screen into the floor throwing them once more into darkness. He pulled a pair of infra red binoculars from his jacket pocket and held them to his eyes moving his vision slowly from right to left. He could see various heat signatures coming from the various motor homes; people, fireplaces, stoves. Then he noticed it, moving slowly amongst the homes. Always hidden against another source of heat the Doctor couldn't quite make out its shape in its entirety. His withheld breath was finally noticed by River.

"What is it?" she asked calmly.

"I don't know... but it's on the move..." he whispered shuffling around to keep the thing in sight. River's patience finally snapped; reaching into the darkness she hit the binoculars out of his grip. They fell with a tiny clatter onto the soft grass, "River!" he protested as she rolled him over straddling him in their hiding place. He wriggled and wriggled; she wasn't about to let him go just yet. Pinning his flailing arms to the floor beside his head she managed to stifle his complaining by pressing her lips firmly against his until he reciprocated. With an unexpected last ditch attempt to escape on the Doctor's part River released him long enough to catch his breath before sealing her lips against his once more. He let a muffled moan escape him as he allowed himself to enjoy this rare occurrence with River. He relaxed long enough for her release his hands, they were slowly working their way up her body when the sound of heavy padded footsteps began to grow out of the darkness with quickening pace. They froze realising the amount of noise they must have been making.

"River..." he said firmly, "Run" They bolted out from under the caravan. Through the darkness River grabbed his shoulder and stole a final kiss from him.

"Be careful sweetie," she breathed in his ear before she darted off into the maze. The Doctor stood dazed for a moment; he reached up gently touching his lips with his finger tips. Her kiss burned and lingered there, it was meaningful... and deep... and powerful...and...

"... and why... aren't I running?" he hissed at himself feeling the heavy thudding almost upon him. His legs sprung into action hurtling him forwards, he squinted unable to see a thing in front of him, "Ooh," he gasped reaching into his pocket and retrieving his sunglasses. Thrusting them onto his face, they helped only slightly, "Damnit!" tearing them off again he threw them roughly to the floor not having time to put them back. His hands fished hurriedly in his insanely large pockets; surely there was something useful in them. His legs ached as he pressed on unaware of how close the pursuer was now due his own loud pounding footsteps. Everything around him seemed invisible amongst the pitch black maze, blood rushed to his face, it pounded through his ears with every step almost deafening him. Deciding that his only way out of this mess with his life would rely on the sole use of his sonic screwdriver, he held tightly onto it as he continued on. Feeling a spurt of adrenaline his pace quickened hurtling him head first into a solid metal motor home. With a sickening crunch he stuck to it for a moment, the wind completely knocked out of him, before sliding down it into a pathetic heap on the floor. His eyes tried to focus skywards, his head struggled to lift from the floor before he slowly blinked his way into unconsciousness.


	18. Chapter 18

He lay flat on his back; he didn't dare open his eyes. Who knew where he'd ended up... Was he dead? Perhaps he'd regenerated... the enormous pain his in face suggested that this was not the case. He silently hoped that the impact hadn't damaged his features... but maybe his nose was smaller now? Or his chin reshaped by the hit? He raised an arm to his face, his fingers poked at his nose and felt along his jaw line slowly. There was no face shift and he'd definitely not regenerated, which meant there was no chance that he was about to wake up from this ordeal and suddenly be Ginger.

"I've always wanted to be Ginger," he groaned with a whisper. His fingers felt for the small bundle of material under the collar of his shirt, "Cool," he smiled straightening the bow tie fondly. His hand reached suddenly up to hover inches above his head, his fingers just tickling his hair, "... plenty of time to get a fez," he reassured himself before opening his eyes and sitting bolt upright. Looking around he allowed his eyes to adjust to the dim amber lighting. Hallow eyes greeted him, staring blankly out of an 18th Century ceramic masquerade mask. The Doctor frowned at it in disbelief, sitting there on the shelf beside him. He reached forward gently curling his fingers around it and lifting it from its dusty resting place. Turning it over in his hands he raised his head to look around the cabin he'd found himself in. All four walls of the tiny cabin had shelves lining them. The Doctor recognised many of the displayed items; some were protected by glass cases while others were held proudly on stands. A Slitheen collar, arm of a Cyberman, damaged Dalek eye stalk, cracked Santa mask, Ood speech ball... the list was endless, and that's when he saw it. It was small but in perfect condition, he stretched his hand out towards the small seemingly meaningless piece of plastic lying on the mahogany shelf across from him. It was a communicator, exactly the same as the ones worn by the archaeologists in the library. In a sudden rush he padded himself down in search of his screwdriver. His hands darted in and out of each of his pockets in turn, it was gone. He leapt up in panic looking frantically around. His eyes finally fell on it, sat neatly on the small fold out table beside the bed on which he had been laying; a wave of relief washed over him. He snatched it up quickly, testing it with a press of the button. Holding it against the communicator he examined the dead neural relay inside. The result on his screwdriver was clear, it was River's.

"That's mine," a voice interrupted him before he could process the overwhelming sights before him. The Doctor looked up; the small open doorway was now obstructed by an old, greying, stubbly man. He wore a dirty faded orange and black checked shirt with equally as dirty blue denim dungarees. In his hand he held a small circular wooden tray with a single steaming hot mug of coffee stood in the centre. His green eyes narrowed on the Doctor.

"Where did you get all of this?" the Doctor asked suspiciously indicating to the shelves of items around them.

"I'm a collector... Space junk is all... there aint no law against it," the man replied gruffly, "What's it to you?"

"Where did you get this?" the Doctor demanded holding up River's communicator.

"Got it in some old library... got stuck in there for near one hundred years... figure I better get something for my trouble... aint no one allowed in there no more... rare artefact now that is"

"What would you trade for this?" the Doctor held tightly onto the communicator.

"What you got in mind?"

The Doctor rummaged through his pockets pulling out a whole manner of contraptions. A wind up mouse, UV hand light, torch, yoyo, chunk of Tardis...

"I want that," the man demanded pointing to the Doctor's screwdriver.

"Well you can't... it's mine"

"Well that's mine and you can't have that neither then," he snatched the communicator out of the Doctor's hands and stuffed it firmly into the pouch on the front of his dungarees. The Doctor sighed in exasperation shaking his head as he gathered up his useless items from the bed. He noticed the light coming in from behind the curtains; he pulled them open.

"When did the lights come back on?"

"When the alarm went at the end of lock down," the man shrugged.

"So... everyone can leave their homes?"

"You didn't listen to the rules anyway..."

"Yes... alright... but it's safe now?"

"Yeah"

The Doctor paced backwards and forwards in the small space. His jacket swayed after him, his boots thudded on the hard wooden floor. There was lots that needed to be done here and he was still no closer to achieving anything. There'd been no imprints on the homes of the people who had been lost. He'd been unable to lure the... whatever it was... into any sort trap. He needed desperately to somehow steal River's neural relay from the man stood before him.

"Wait... how did you save me?"

"You ran into the side of my house... you think I'd just stay inside and not check it out?"

"But... how did we get away alive?"

"Why wouldn't we get away alive?" the man shrugged setting the tray down on the bed. He reached into his pockets casually pulling out a pack of cigarettes. Putting one into his mouth he patted himself down replacing the packet as he did so, "Help us out here..." he said leaning towards the Doctor. Reluctantly the Doctor pointed his screwdriver at the tip of the cigarette, lighting it with a sharp press of the button; he frowned as he tucked it away in his jacket pocket. The man took a long satisfied drag on the white little stick before exhaling a huge cloud of smoke, "Do you believe in ghosts...? ... Time Lord...?"


	19. Chapter 19

"I'm not a Time Lord..." the Doctor said dismissively taking a casual glance out of the small window to his left. He reached into his inside pocket slowly feeling around, pushing the screwdriver to one side so he could delve down to the very bottom. He winced slightly before looking back up to the greying figure in the doorway before him. In his hand he was swinging the Doctor's time piece around by its small chain.

"If you don't want to be a Time Lord we could make it so," he growled.

"What do you want?" the Doctor asked finally shifting his weight as he squirmed slightly in his boots.

"You're going to fix all the funny business"

"... and what if I don't want to?" the Doctor narrowed his eyes slightly. The man dropped the watch to the floor and pressed his foot against it firmly, "Right... well... that's... that's pretty... that's pretty clear..." he stammered wishing he hadn't asked that question "can you... not stand... can you not stand on that?" He dropped to the floor trying with his thumb and index finger to free his poor time piece. He struggled and struggled and finally withdrew, gasping with exhaustion, "Alright... alright...," he breathed, "where do we start?"

* * *

He felt as though he was in some kind of hostage situation. A hostage situation with a comfy chair... a bonus he supposed crossing one leg casually over the other, he gripped the arms of it tightly staring right at his keeper awaiting the information he craved.

"I'm Joe... Joey to my pals... If I had any..." Joe lit up another cigarette with a match he'd acquired from his very modest and untidy kitchen area, "I've been on this here carnival ship for half my life... hop on and off when we land places for a bit of an adventure... Not been going off since this lock down business started... too creepy to stay away from... crave adventure I do" The Doctor closed his eyes and pressed a single finger to his temple, massaging it slowly, vaguely listening to Joe's ramblings.

"Are you going to tell me about the lock down now?" he sighed at last running his fingers through his hair and leaning back in his seat. An expectant look had fallen across his features. Joe paused; the only movement came from the smoke escaping steadily from the end of his cigarette. He turned a wooden chair around and straddled it, leaning forward on the back,

"Started a long way back... I'd not been working long but I had a stand of my own... business was good..."

"Yes... sorry... I don't mean to be rude but can you speed it up a bit? Get to the point..." Joe frowned at the Doctor's impatience.

"Punters started disappearing... old Teddy senior fed us carnies some rubbish about how they'd probably just gone home... Told us not to worry 'bout it," Joe stopped to drag a little more on his cigarette before exhaling, "As if we cared... business was good... our sorts were fine, until the disappearances started on route... Night watchers... Mechanics... Late workers... all out after dark... all vanished" The Doctor frowned with interest. The only explanation was that something had gotten on board at a port.

"So anyway," Joe continued after a long pause, "Soon after that we started having lock down. To try to make people stay in when it went dark... Didn't work of course... some of us need to work late to get things done and ready for the next job. Those folks vanished too, now no one goes out during lock down. Except for you of course..."

"What's out there?" the Doctor asked quietly.

"Heck if I know... uh..."

"Doctor... I'm the Doctor. How do you know I'm a Time Lord by the way?"

"Well I was told of course," Joe breathed out another puff of smoke, "You ain't the only new arrival here Doctor... Someone knows you better than you know you"

"Who? Show me," the Doctor demanded rising out of his chair suddenly.

"Now Doctor... C'mon... Is that such a good idea?" The Doctor strode past him; his boots thudded against the hard wooden floor.

"Alrighty then," Joey grinned tucking the half a cigarette behind his ear and kicking the chair out of his way, "We're going this way," he pointed down the row of trailers to his right as his boots tapped down the steel stairs before he joined the Doctor out on the soft grass. It was surprisingly busy out. People and beings from all over the universe were bustling about, sat outside each other's homes, eating, drinking, and laughing. The Doctor almost felt out of place, alone again, no joking or laughing for him right now. He followed Joe, turning a whole 360 as he took in the sights so different from the previous night, "Here we go," Joe announced stopping outside a home shaped like an enormous crystal ball. It shone under the artificial lights, with only a deep purple curtain covering the doorway. The Doctor looked up and grimaced slightly, he hated fortune tellers... almost as much as he hated archaeologists. He took in a deep breath and pushed the curtain to one side, slowly, he entered the darkness. If it had been up to him he'd have turned and walked straight out again, however, Joe's presence behind him forced him to stay. Their eyes adjusted to the dim light and fixed upon the hooded figure sat facing them. A large crystal ball stood in the centre of the circular table at which the figure was sitting. The Doctor looked to Joe who shrugged his shoulders and nodded as he checked his cigarette was still in place. The Doctor stepped forward slightly; the figure began to take down the hood slowly. The Doctor smirked ever so slightly, tucking his hands casually into his pockets.

"Hello sweetie"

He grinned widely, "Hello sweetie," he chuckled shaking his head in amusement.


	20. Chapter 20

"River," he smiled, "What... How...?" He waved his arm uselessly at her breaking into a huge grin, "River..." She grinned back at him mischievously,

"Well while you out having fun... I did some real investigating... Hello again," she added. The Doctor turned around to a very sheepish looking Joe.

"What do you know of Torchwood Doctor?" Joe asked, his manner suddenly seemed very efficient.

"What... Wait... What..." the Doctor spluttered turning sharply back to stare at River, "Torchwood?" he cried.

"Don't look at me sweetie... He's been here for years... _he_ found _me_," she protested shrugging off the hooded shawl and standing slowly.

"We need professionals... experts," Joe explained, "Sorry about the...uh," he held out the Doctor's watch towards him, "It was her idea... Just in case it wasn't you I picked up" He turned to the doorway and pressed down hard on the light switch. A steel plate slammed down to cover the doorway, the table sunk down to floor level, creating a circular platform, "Quickly," Joe urged stepping firmly onto it. The pair followed his lead; the platform sprung into action and began to move downwards under the floor, a steel circular grid sealed the hole above them. The Doctor glanced to the unphased River; she patted her loose curly hair then sent him a huge beaming smile as they touched down in the hideout. Approximately six flat screen computers were positioned at various points around the small rectangular room, notice boards held photos and sheets of writing. In the centre stood a large white light table, the whole room shone a brilliant white, sterile, clinical colour.

"There should be... more of you then..." the Doctor stated stepping out into the hideout.

"Yes. They all went missing while investigating the disappearances. It's like nothing we've ever dealt with before Doctor"

River gravitated instantly to the nearest vacant computer. She began to tap away, the screen lit up for her as her typing increased in speed.

"Excuse me," the Doctor mumbled to Joe before stepping to join River. She paused in mid type sensing him stood close behind her. He pressed his lips against her ear, "And where have you been?" he whispered dangerously, "Why didn't you use the communicator?" She turned around; their faces were so close they could have rubbed noses.

"You never answer," she hissed.

"You never tried"

"I did! You didn't switch it on!"

The Doctor frowned at her before reaching to check inside his pocket, he pulled out the communicator and examined it carefully, he flicked the small switch with his thumb. A small red light lit up, he looked up to River who was now holding hers to her mouth.

"Believe me now?" she cried deafening them both as the sound was amplified.

"Are you two a couple?" Joe asked leaning against the light table.

"No"

"Yes"

The pair froze and turned to look at each other. The Doctor looked slightly puzzled,

"You said yes...?"

"..Yes"

"When I said no..."

"You didn't say yes?"

"...no"

"Uhm... So here's the file I put together," Joe interrupted hastily handing the brown file out towards the Doctor. The Time Lord eyed River suspiciously before flicking through the pages quickly with barely a glance.

"Interesting read," he declared throwing it casually down on the table, "But doesn't get us any closer... but at least I was right... there's no way off this ship..." The Doctor thought for a very long moment before he spied a familiar looking vial stood next to one of the computers. It shone brightly, a gold colour, just like time energy.

"Why do you have that...?" the Doctor pondered striding over to it.

"Well... It's the only way I could have your ship brought to ours..."

"Huon particles," River confirmed, "The last naturally occurring Huon particles are within the heart of your Tardis Doctor. The activation of _those_ particles acted as a magnet on the already activated Tardis. Drawing the two together..." Glancing to her the Doctor noticed the reappearance of her faithful PDA. After a long intake of breath he rounded on the unsuspecting Torchwood agent.

"So you endangered the lives of the people on this ship... and the people in my ship...," he pointed to River angrily, his eyes fixed furiously on Joe, "If she'd died I'd have held you personally responsible... twice!" He snatched up the vial holding it up to the light he examined it further. The small handle protruding from the top was clearly the source of activation, "Right," he said a little more calmly, "I'll keep hold of this..." He tucked the Huon particles into his jacket pocket. His hands worked nervously flattening out the tweed creases as he tried to think, "And there's nothing unusual? No new additions to the carnival? ... Anything?"

Joe bowed his head low as he strained his mind, "Not that I know of..." he decided at last. The Doctor brought his hand to his face, covering his closed eyes. The onset of a headache had begun to take its tole.

"We're just going to have to search then," he winced dropping his hand sharply to the table top, "Good old fashioned... searching"


	21. Chapter 21

"We should have more dates like this," River beamed holding tightly onto the Doctor's arm as they strode on through the bustling carnival.

"This isn't a date..." he protested attempting for the third time to escape her tight grip.

"Don't be silly of course it is... You... Me... and we've already covered the running part..." she smiled simply, resting her head on his shoulder and sighing contently. The pair continued on, the Doctor, on guard for anything he deemed suspicious, River, enjoying his ever distant company, knowing that their high affinity for trouble meant that this peaceful walk, wouldn't last much longer. He felt a sharp tug on his arm and spun quickly on to the spot. He squinted trying to identify the threat; finally he looked down in confusion at River. She pointed to a large bunch of balloons being held in place by an oversized ant eater like creature.

"Be a gentleman," she insisted, "... the one with the storm cloud inside looks nice..." she added with a whisper. The Doctor clenched his teeth together and marched over to the startled creature.

"Carnival inspector," he stated firmly holding up his psychic paper, "I need to take those balloons" Snatching them out of the creatures hand he marched back towards River, twenty or so balloon strings held tightly in his fist. He thrust them at her roughly, "come on..." He took her hand and marched her onwards.

"You like to be in control... don't you Doctor?" she teased. She pulled her hand back, forcing him to stand still. She allowed the balloons to float gracefully away before reaching up to grip his hair tightly.

"River..." he whispered into her open mouth. Pausing they stared carefully into each other's eyes, both trying desperately to read the signs correctly as they were drawn closer. With their lips sealed the Doctor slipped his hands around her waist. With a small jump she was in his arms, legs wrapped firmly around him. Her fingers tightened in his hair forcing him to wince slightly; as he gasped he lost the fierce battle their tongues had been partaking in, River was now in full control.

At that point in time the Doctor found his mind wandering in a dangerous direction. He probably should not be kissing River Song like this... probably shouldn't be exploring her body with his wandering hands. He already knew now that River was to be his 'forever'... but he was the Doctor... and the Doctor didn't do love... and he certainly didn't do a permanent commitment... Just the thought of a permanent lifelong relationship made his legs almost give way beneath him. One woman for the rest of his existence... and what a long existence that would be, at nine hundred and three he was still very young. His legs were finally unable to support him sending the pair toppling to the floor. River landed on top of him, straddling him ungracefully. He looked up at her wide eyed in shock. With one eyebrow raised slightly she stared back at him for a moment trying to catch her breath.

"Thanks..." she breathed patting his chest fondly, "I needed that..." she clambered off of him, straightening her jacket and fixing her curly hair. The Doctor sat up slightly, mouth hung open as he stared in disbelief at her,

"You _needed_ that?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment, "Yes," she decided promptly, her hands continued to check that everything was in place, briefly touching on her PDA, gun, and communicator.

"I'm not your play thing... to just... to just pick up when you please" He scrambled up brushing the small blades of grass from his trousers and frowning at her indignantly.

"Of course you're not sweetie" Though the glint in her eye said otherwise. The Doctor shook his head, he'd been had, that much was certain. He rolled his eyes before his legs decided that he'd stood long enough. Though he was still annoyed with her, the Doctor held his hand out towards her, wiggling his fingers insistently until she complied.

"So...," he began, still continuing to sweep the area with his eyes as they walked. River looked to him expectantly, awaiting his clearly looming question. It never came. There were many things he wanted to ask River... many things. He let out a long, loud sigh. There was no way of getting the truthful responses he wanted without some kind of time altering 'spoiler' being revealed, "What are we going to do River?" he asked finally. She frowned looking quite puzzled,

"What do you mean?"

"Us... this... situation..." He turned to her, she was very much taken aback by the sad look in his eyes, it shocked River almost to the point of speechlessness.

"Doctor... I..." Her reply was interrupted by the piercing lock down alarm. The lights began to dim slowly giving the carnival workers just enough time to return to their homes. The Doctor's expression turned dangerously stern as her pulled River towards the cover of Waltzer. Pressed flat against the floor they shuffled underneath the frame holding the ride above the ground. Side by side, in the darkness, they waited. The Doctor would not be caught out a second time.


	22. Chapter 22

**Author: Accidental very late update for me. I forgot to post this, and then got carried away writing the ending. Sorry...**

**Ohh and in a previous chapter I mentioned the Doctor's age as beng.. 903.. I think.. But of course that was his age in 'Voyage of the Damned' ... So I'll be revising that and making him a few years older. Not a big issue, just incase anyone thought... 'hang on a minute!' - I will go back and change his age at some point.  
**

How long they lay beneath the Waltzer neither of them knew. The Doctor lay on his back absentmindedly pulling apart blades of grass. River lay on her side, propped up on her elbow, eyes drifting in and out of focus. She was about to nod off when her hand slipped, she jerked awake suddenly.

"Doctor we've been here hours... Let's just forget this"

He glanced slightly at her through the darkness, he could just about make out the sleepy glint in her eyes.

"No," he said flatly, "We stay... Anything happens, I have to be there" River sighed loudly in frustration and rolled over to face away from him. Unreasonable, stubborn man.

Ten minutes passed, twenty, thirty... River had lost count some time ago. Pulling apart yet another blade of grass the Doctor raised it to his mouth and began to chew slowly. He paused, a disgusted look came across his face, it tasted worse than blue grass. He spat it out hurriedly, pulling the smaller pieces from his tongue with his fingers.

"Alright," he decided aloud, "We'll do it your way" He sprung into action, River close to his heels as he led her from their hiding place.

"Now... we're completely vulnerable out here Song," he began as they began to stride out into the pitch black, "So do as I say... Don't ask stupid questions... And don't wander off" He pulled out his screwdriver and held it out in front of him like a sword as they continued on, "I bet this whole scenario is sat in that diary of yours... if you'd just you know... forget the rules... just once... we could follow it... like a... like a manual... yeah... except... I don't really agree with manuals... Threw the Tardis manual into a Supernova... Still... the Tardis gets me from A to B... not before going through X, Y and Z on the way of course... I wonder how the Tardis is... Key hasn't reacted yet... can't have much longer left...," he paused for breath and then sighed, "I bet the swimming pool has moved again... No more soggy toast though eh?" After yet another long pause the Doctor was suddenly aware of the lack of banter he was receiving from River. He stopped still quickly and turned around, waving his screwdriver around he couldn't feel River anywhere within reach, "River?" he asked quietly. He was greeted by silence and the low hum of the ships engines, "River," he hissed more urgently, "Stop playing" His eyes tried desperately to reach into the darkness and find some kind of movement from her. He held his breath and stood perfectly still. A cold sweat began to take over him, his hearts, beat faster than ever. His eyes darted in every possible direction, he couldn't see a thing.

"Okay... okay... Think," he began to pace, not sure of exactly which way was which any more. As he tapped his head with his screwdriver it hit him, "Of course..." he whispered delving into his pocket and removing the spare communicator. Using his screwdriver he was able to manipulate the box into a homing device. It began to beep steadily, he turned on the spot until the beeping quickened in pace, "Gotcha," he grinned taking a large stride forward. He took a few more long strides, "Walk like you can see..." he whispered, "Stupid advice," he added stumbling slightly. The Doctor could barely walk in a straight line when the lights were on, never mind when there was no light to be seen, "That woman," he hissed, "Is going to get me killed one of these days..."

With a mildly worried expression he took a few more tentative steps. In his outstretched left hand he held the beeping communicator; in the other hand he held his screwdriver tightly in his fist. The Doctor felt the hairs stand on the back of his neck, he was sure he'd felt warm breath behind his ear. A chill wriggled down his spine before his legs were pulled sharply from beneath him. He fell heavily on his stomach, the communicator clattered out of his hand as he tried desperately to grab tufts of grass.

"No!" he cried struggling to grip the ground and he was dragged away, his fingers dug into the artificial earth, "No! Please! No!"

* * *

When he finally came around he found himself staring up at a bright light. He squinted at it for a moment before turning his head away from it. Angry eyes met his.

"Oh don't worry the Doctor is still out there, he'll save me... Well some bloody good you were!"

He jumped, as he tried to move he found his wrists and ankles were held down firmly, "What the..."

"Welcome to my life," River snapped turning her head sharply away from the Doctor.

"It can't be that bad," the Doctor murmured trying desperately to see his feet. River frowned at him in annoyance, "Well it could... be worse," he added in a low voice.

"Tell me dear... how could it be worse?" River asked beginning to lose her patience with him. He beamed at her widely.

"We could be dead already"


	23. Chapter 23

"So what are they?" the Doctor asked excitedly, "Did you see them yet?" His eyes shone like a child's in a sweet shop. River stared at him a moment, he made her temper sky rocket,

"Why. Was. He. Put. Next. To. Me?" she yelled fighting furiously against the restraints. The Doctor rolled his eyes as she struggled.

"That isn't going to help," he sighed. Footsteps made the pair pause. The sound of a door opening and closing made their hearts race. The Doctor moved his head casually to try and catch a glimpse of whatever had entered the room. The face came out of nowhere. Hallow eyes, ceramic mask, face paint, big red nose and wickedly purple hair.

"C... C... Cl...," the Doctor stammered, "Clown! Arrr!" His hearts shot into overdrive. He struggled and fought in an attempt to escape, "Arrr... not a clown!... not a clown!" Sweat poured from him, his breathing was suddenly very rapid and shallow. The face tilted to one side menacingly, "Aaaahhh! Riverrr!... River make it go away! ... Make it go away! ... I... Hate... Clowns!" He clenched his eyes shut tightly realising there was no way out. He felt a small thud on his chest; he dared to open one eye. The ceramic mask had fallen onto him; the Doctor looked up in confusion. Its face was completely rounded and smooth, behind the clear, protective glass casing were intricate clockwork mechanisms. The Doctor's brow furrowed slightly as he caught his breath, "Oh," he breathed, "Hello again..."

"What is it?" River asked.

"It's a repair droid... they repair... well... anything. I met some once... they'll repair with anything they find... and i mean anything... human parts or mechanical parts... But something is wrong with this one... there's something missing... something... wrong" The Doctor frowned scanning the rotating clockwork mechanisms inside the droid, "What's wrong with you?" he asked curiously. With sharp jerky movements the droid backed away. In its hand the Doctor spied a shiny object. Straining his neck to get a better look the sight made the colour drain from his face, "You can't use that. It's not yours, it's not compatible" The droid raised the object up into view and began to move the other robotic arm up, "Don't open that!"

"Doctor...?" River asked sharply.

"My watch... It will change my biological structure into that of a human... a chameleon arc... all Time Lord Traits and memories will be gone... the watch will trigger its perception filter meaning I'll never 'see' it for what it is... I'll never open it" His voice became more and more rushed as panic set in, he tried once more to struggle against the restraints.

"Why do they want your watch?" The Doctor paused for a moment; his eyes darted from side to side as his mind was kick started into action.

"What's the connection...," he murmured. There was a very long pause, and the longest silence, "... Do you hear that...?" River turned her head to face him.

"Hear what?"

"Exactly," he breathed, "Not a tick... a Clockwork man who doesn't... tick"

"But your watch doesn't work," River whispered, "... and what about the missing people...?"

"Dead... all of them... dissected most likely. Who knows what makes people tick River? No one knows... I certainly don't know... so how would _they_ know which part to use? ... And as for my watch... that watch _is_ me... of course it doesn't tick... it makes _me_ tick" The droid seemed to examine the watch carefully as the Doctor spoke, "So," he added brightly turning to face her, "Just in case you die and I'm turned into a human... there's something... you should know..." River frowned at him suspiciously.

"Go on..."

"I did take the pages out of your diary..."

"What!"

"... but it _was_ an accident..."

"You read my diary?"

"... they just fell out..."

"But the rules!"

"... and I couldn't put them back because I'd have to read it to find out the order..."

"Doctor!"

"Yes... alright... I read it... a little... I skim read... I hardly even glanced really... but they _did_ fall out by themselves"

"... Doctor..." she interrupted dangerously.

"Alright, alright I took them out... but they were graphic! ... And very... naughty... I had to! I mean come on, you're human... I'm a Time Lord... Think of the children!"

The droid had left by the time River had gotten the whole story out of the Doctor. He shook his head in despair and let it fall back against the table he was bound to. He stared blankly up at the ceiling, slightly annoyed that the information had been pried so easily from him.


	24. Chapter 24

The sound of the Doctor's chuckle yet again finally forced River to address the Time Lord.

"It's not funny," she snapped.

"I'm not laughing," he replied indignantly, "I could become a human at any moment!"

"It's not the worst thing that could happen. Believe it or not Doctor but I've managed perfectly well being a human. It is possible to live as one"

"Of course it's possible to live as one. I just don't want to be one... Again" River frowned, she couldn't imagine the Doctor ever leading a human existence, neither could she imagine him being any good at it,

"When you just decide to leave me in the closest century, which you have done plenty of times. I have to adjust and survive. It's not a walk in the park, but it's my way of living. I don't insult your easy little life, in your cosy little Time Machine. So don't insult mine"

"It's not little... It's bigger on the inside..." he sulked rolling his head away from her.

"Are you two done arguing yet?" a voice asked. The pair struggled suddenly in an attempt to see their feet. The Doctor felt his ankle and wrist restraints being released. He sat bolt upright.

"Oh," he said calmly staring at Joe. The Torchwood agent began to move over to River, "Don't untie her... Yet" the Doctor added with a casual point of his finger. He leapt off the table and lent over River.

"Untie me," she growled dangerously. The Doctor's face was close to hers, his eyes scanned her features carefully, a small satisfied grin on his lips.

"You're tied up," he stated calmly.

"Yes," she sighed, "I am" The Doctor leaned down further still, River spied her chance. She lent up to meet him sinking her teeth into his bottom lip. The Doctor yelped, unable to pull away from her hold on him. River released him sharply,

"Untie me!" she hissed. The Doctor backed away a finger pressed firmly to his lip. He checked it for blood as he took out his screwdriver. Aiming it at the four holds on her they popped open in turn. River shot up instantly.

"Sweetie you know I don't like to be tied down," she breathed as she patted her hair into shape casually. The Doctor scowled still pressing his finger firmly against his lip. It took a short while for them to take notice of their surroundings. Shelves and shelves of mechanical  
parts surrounded them, cogs, screws, motors, jars of human organs... Wait. The Doctor edged closer to the jar to his left; on a shelf about head height. He squinted and leaned closer, it was a clear jar, with a murky liquid inside. What can only be described as a mutilated human heart sailed past the Doctor's eyes. He grimaced and clutched his chest suddenly,

"I hope that's not one of mine," he muttered. Turning on the spot, hand still holding his chest he eyed Joe with a sudden dislike and suspicion, "Why are _you _here?" he asked.

"I came to save you"

"But you didn't know where we were..."

"... I followed you..."

"Drop the act... I know... What you are... You're no closer to this... Ridiculous goal..." the Doctor shook his head before looking up at Joe.

"I don't know what you're talking about"

"It's obvious... Your collection of gadgets from across time and space... The only remaining Torchwood agent... A rather extravagant... Lie. So far-fetched it's almost believable... Yet almost... Laughable... And I'll tell you why..."  
The Doctor paused a moment and stared at Joe, "You're ticking... Tick... Tock... Tick... Tock..." River turned her head to listen, she strained her ears... And there it was... Very faint... But louder now that she knew it was there,"Naturally I assumed it was a watch," the Doctor continued walking along the shelf beside him, running a finger through the dust, "... But you aren't wearing one... It couldn't be my own watch... It doesn't tell me the time it tells me the 'when' ... River's watch is digital of course," he smiled across to River, "... Sweetie..." he added fondly. She smiled back,

"You've had your moment now," she teased, "Time to run"

"Wait!" the Doctor cried turning back to Joe who was now advancing towards them, "Tell me the whole plan!" Joe tore the fleshy cover from his face and threw it roughly to the floor. The Doctor stared down at the pile of flesh then up at the modernised mechanical workings which made up the face, "That_ will_ work one of these days..." the Doctor whimpered before taking off through the open door after River. Her curly hair bobbed up and down in front of him as they ran down the dimly lit, damp, stone corridor.

How fast could a Clockwork Droid move? He seemed to remember them only walking. The quick and heavy footsteps behind them suggested that the upgrade had done wonders for their movement. It hadn't quite done wonders for the trademark ticking if the older models. Finding a newer compatible component had clearly proved to be a difficult task for them. Resorting to human parts for their own repairs was indeed an act of desperation as far as the Doctor knew. He continued to stay close behind River occasionally flicking his screwdriver over his shoulder in an attempt to slow down the oncoming threat. With an almighty thud he crashed into the now stationary River. He looked from her to the solid wall in front of them. He clenched his eyes shut tightly as all hope of a clean escape left him. The Doctor turned to look at the Clockwork man stood a mere ten feet away. Ticking loudly it withdrew the Masquerade mask that the Doctor had previously seen the older models wearing in the Eighteenth Century. It fixed it firmly to it's empty face. In its hand it held up the Doctor's pocket watch, in a fluid movement it had flipped the catch and opened the small device.

The Doctor stared at it hopelessly...


	25. Chapter 25

With the time piece open River waited with baited breath. All eyes, both mechanical and human were on the Doctor. After a long and almost unbearable pause he began to stride towards the Clockwork man until they were inches apart. The Doctor pushed his hair out of his face. His stern expression was fixed firmly on the hallow eyes. In a calm movement without shifting his stare, he took the watch out of the droid's hand. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear before turning on his heel and starting the short journey back towards River. For a few brief seconds River felt a wave of relief wash over her. The Doctor kept his eyes fixed upon her. The echo from his boots on the concrete was as monotonous as a ticking clock. Seeing River's expression falter and her hand shoot to her holster the Doctor spun on the spot. With seamless effort he withdrew his Screwdriver and aimed with the astonishingly bright green light, illuminating his angry expression. The advancing Clockwork man froze, before falling promptly into a heap on the floor.

"No second chances," he said firmly.

Kneeling down he searched the front dungaree pouch eventually pulling out the neural relay. He tucked it swiftly into his own pocket.

"Doctor," River's urgent voice came from over his shoulder, "there's not much time. We have to go"

He rose to his feet, once more pushing his unruly hair from his face, "Time to run," he smiled holding his hand out towards her. She grinned back with almost a hint of a blush.

"Charmer," she whispered sliding her fingers between his.

With that the escape began. They ran as quickly as they could down the straight corridor; and were promptly halted, far too soon for the Doctor's liking. In the corridor ahead, maybe five or six droids were blocking the way.

"Oh," the Doctor breathed, "that is... Very not good"

After a brief moment of calm the droids began a fierce quick march towards the pair. Without even bothering to turn around the time travellers backed away at pace. Their legs couldn't move quickly enough. Unaware of exactly how far back they'd been forced they found themselves stumbling backwards over the upgraded Clockwork man. The Doctor winced, the wind completely knocked out of him. He moved his head rapidly from side to side in an attempt to shake off the daze he found himself in. His eyes, blurry and unfocused, stared blankly at the awaking Clockwork figure at his feet. With it's mobility impaired it made a desperate grab for the Doctor's ankles. His hearts raced as he kicked wildly to shake off the iron grip.

"... Doctor..." River's shaking voice brought his attention back to the matter at hand. Now, even closer, even quicker, the army pressed on, closing up the already small gap. The Doctor's eyes widened, his thoughts clouded by this unavoidable fate.

Tucking his sweat drenched hair behind his ear for the final time the Doctor sprung into action. He forced his screwdriver into River's shaking hands as they backed up against the solid wall.

"Alright... Alright... Tardis..." he gasped as they crouched low.

"Sweetie it's still regenerating... And it's not here!" River protested.

"Yeah? ... Then why is your key glowing? ... Around your neck there..." He fished desperately in his jacket pockets.

"Sweetie... Now would be the time to do your 'Thing'..." Her eyes were fixed upon the fast approaching killing machines, their hooked right hands outstretched as they marched.

"It's a thing... In... Progress..." he breathed producing the vial of Huon particles from his pocket. He examined it carefully before gripping the handle tightly. The Droids were now metres away, "Sweetie," he said casually offering his arm. Ten feet away. Five feet away. River took hold of his arm tightly, "GERONIMO!" he yelled turning the handle sharply.

A familiar sound met their ears as a hazy white light engulfed them. A gush of cool air whirled past their faces as if the Clockwork men had run straight through them.

The pair now sat huddled together on the floor staring up at the welcome sight of the interior of the Tardis' blue doors. Eyes still wide they continued to stare at them in disbelief. The Doctor dared to blink as they turned their heads slowly to stare at each other. River let out a huge sigh of relief and flopped back against the floor of the Time Machine. The Doctor looked down at the vial of glowing Huon Particles.

"So we escape then... Excellent," he whispered, "... Love when I do that..." He climbed to his feet before turning to pull River up by her hands. She threw her arms tightly around his neck.

"You impossible... Brilliant... Wonderful... Genius of a man!" she gushed laying firm kisses on his lip between compliments.

"Well...," he grinned with mild embarrassment and pride, "Yeah..."


	26. Chapter 26

River opened the Doctor's jacket and slid his screwdriver carefully into the inside pocket. She fixed his collar and brushed her hands over his shoulders, and down his arms. She tugged the bottom of the jacket pulling it firmly into place. Reaching up, she straightened his bow tie with her delicate fingers. All the while the Doctor's fascinated eyes never moved from her.

"Now," she said finally pressing her hands flat against his chest, "Go get them..."

The Doctor started to turn towards the doors of the Tardis.

"Wait!" River reached up, running her fingers through his hair in an attempt to tame it, "Okay go..." she sighed in a manner which was simply code for, 'Go now or I'll never let you go at all'.

The Doctor rolled his eyes with a smile before once more making his way to the doors. He took a deep breath and sighed loudly as he unlatched the door and stepped outside. Facing him was the army of Clockwork men, and in the centre was the upgraded model.

"Time Lord," the Doctor announced pointing to himself as the door clicked shut, "Time And Relative Dimensions In Space... Tardis..." he continued pointing up to his faithful blue box. He turned his finger to them, circling it wildly so as to include all of them, "... Talking clocks..." he said finally with a small hint of a smile.

Everything went silent for a moment, everything except for the quiet ticking that the Doctor was facing. It was as though they were processing his words. With a sharp jerky movement one of the heads tilted to one side, awaiting the point of the Doctor's declaration. Their pause was in vain as the Doctor pressed on.

"Now you lot... Scavengers... Stealing people for parts... What's that about eh?... Go to a junk yard or something...these People are not your tools... You can't have them... I won't let you" Simultaneously they took a step towards him, he pulled his screwdriver on them, "I... Won't... Let... You" he said defiantly, "This ends today," he added darkly, "Leave this ship... Rebuild elsewhere"

The silence was deafening. The Doctor's eyes darted from side to side trying to watch all of the mechanical monsters meant for children's nightmares. They pushed forward, pinning the Doctor against the Tardis door. The catch had jammed, the door remained closed, the Doctor's feet hung loosely a few inches from the ground. He gasped against the crushing force against his windpipe. His eyes radiated a fiery hatred towards them and at the same time a desperate hope, both of which were fast dying. Inside River tugged and pulled at the lock, it was completely jammed shut.

"Doctor!" she cried, "Its stuck she's still not fully regenerated!"

The Doctor gasped and choked as he gripped the hands which were wrapped around his throat, trying desperately to relieve the pressure at the very least. He needed one more breath.

"I ... C... Can help..." he stuttered using all his strength to raise his screwdriver into view. He was released sharply and fell into a slumped heap at the base of his Time Machine. He gasped for air his head going dizzy with the sudden rush of oxygen. The tingling that had begun to take over his fingers started to subside. His breathing slowly returned to normal and he was able to clamber uncertainly to his feet, leaning back against the Tardis for support, "Alright," he sighed frowning as he struggled to fight off the faint feeling. His hand delved into his pocket and brought out River's screwdriver, "I did this... Only once before... With a sonic pen... Long story... Out of interest have any of you any idea what happens when two sonic devices are brought together? ... No... Actually... Never mind... Not important..."

He brought the tips of the screwdrivers together, glancing briefly up at the Clockwork men. Then he pressed the buttons. Sonic vibrations filled the air with the same magnitude that River had accidently produced with the Tardis. Spark flew and smoke erupted, clockwork heads exploded and bodies fell. The Doctor fell back, sliding down the side of the Tardis, a result of the blasts caused by the bringing together of the screwdrivers. He sat a moment in shock amongst the flaming material and metal shards. Wires and circuit boards protruded from various broken limbs. Shattered masks were strewn across the floor of the corridor. The Tardis doors burst open resulting in the Doctor falling heavily back into the doorway of his faithful machine.

"Well it's about time," he sighed looking up, his head well placed between River's feet.

"Good view?" she asked brightly before giving him a sharp kick, "Always the geniuses..." she mumbled leaving him on the floor, legs hanging out of the doorway.


	27. Chapter 27

"What now?" River asked taking control of the console.

The Doctor stepped up to join her. He held out his hand to her. Between his finger and thumb he held six or seven small pieces of torn paper. His expression was surprisingly stern as she reached out to receive them. She flicked through them quickly, her intrigued features were suddenly saddened by what she saw.

"Oh Doctor..." she sighed shuffling the pages together into one stack and looking up to him. He turned away unable to look her in the eye, "... Why...?" she asked quietly.

"We aren't meant to be... Together... Not like that..." he whispered lowering himself slowly onto the sofa. He rested his hands firmly on his knees and stared blankly at the space between his boots, "I'm not supposed to... Love... I'm far too dangerous to have anyone that close" He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger, "I can't let anyone become a target because of me"

River watched him, she couldn't move, she could hardly breathe. She felt a rush of emotions hurtling to the surface, building up in her like an unstoppable volcano.

"Those times were meant to happen Doctor! You can't just tear pages from a book and expect it to disappear! You and I. Time and space! We were destined to run in it! We're meant to be together, to love each other. You read those pages Doctor... We've shared more than just the Tardis"

He sat in silence. They had indeed shared more than just the living space. As he'd read those pages, the paragraphs, the sentences, the words... It was undeniable. He and River were lovers. Maybe more, who knew... He'd never got to the end of her diary. Whatever had taken place between those pages hadn't happened yet. Now he knew what River was to become to him he felt himself distancing himself from everything. He was retreating back into his detached manner, a manner he thought he'd left behind in his previous faces.

Did he really need a companion? Did he really crave the company?

Maybe.

Had he ever needed or wanted a lover?

No one had really held his attention long enough to become anything more than just someone to travel with for the company. River was definitely different. She'd not only caught but held his attention for as long as he'd known her. She was mysterious and incredibly clever, she knew all the things that he knew and maybe more.

There were times when a barrier should be raised not only for the others persons protection for your own. Right now, despite all his doubts and rational reasons for them not being together, the Doctor's barrier crumbled.

Without another word or thought he'd lifted River into his arms, and sat on her on an empty area of console. He stood between her parted legs, his arms loosely enveloping her waist. With his forehead pressed gently against hers he closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry River..." he breathed.

She pulled back slightly and sighed with exasperation. She had nothing to say to him. He'd broken the rules... He'd read the book. He'd betrayed her in a way... And she couldn't forgive him. Pressing her hands against his chest she gently pushed him away before sliding gracefully from the console.

The Doctor lent against the console, his head hung low. He bit his lip and closed his eyes. He could see her disappointed expression, the sadness in her eyes. She'd travelled as far as he had, had to endure years in the same place until means of time travel had come along. She'd had to switch between an extraordinary existence and an ordinary uneventful life.

Unlike him.

"Doctor..."

He didn't want to face her. How could he?

"Doctor..."

He reluctantly turned around trying his best to fight off the tears that now welled in his eyes. A sharp slap cracked across his cheek followed instantly by the forcing of lips against his. Hands grabbed his jacket lapels pulling his body closer against sensuous curves. Half of him tried to resist, his arms flailed out to the sides not quite knowing where to settle.

Yet his mouth, his lips, his tongue... Wanted her... Desperately.


	28. Chapter 28

River slid his jacket from his shoulders, fighting with his reluctant arms to remove it completely.

River grabbed his hair firmly and with gentle, playful tugs, managed to lead him across to the room she occupied. The pair stumbled and tripped refusing to part until they reached the doorway.

As they withdrew long enough for air River lent back into the room her hand groping the wall for the light switch. Impatient as he was the Doctor ignored her efforts and scooped her up into his arms, carrying her, legs wrapped tightly around him, to the bed she'd claimed there.

In the darkness that surrounded them their only option was to feel instead of see. With her legs still firmly around him the Doctor crept up to lean over her, expertly caressing her neck. Laying gentle kisses along her jawline until finally reaching her soft lips. She did not protest to this almost unheard of show of affection from the Doctor. The feeling of his fingers tracing down her body beneath the safety of her clothes caused her to release a soft moan into his ear. She pushed him off of her, rolling him onto the other half of the bed, ruffled and confused. River rose to her feet, a smile lined her lips and as if every item was made of silk, her clothes slipped from her, leaving her stood thrillingly revealed under the cover of darkness.

As he gently outlined her body with his hands his lips slid softly across her skin. Her ears tingled; hearing the rustling of material as the Doctor hurriedly removed his clothing. Her heart danced as she realised exactly what they were venturing into. She reached out into the darkness pulling his body urgently against hers, feeling his warm skin against her for the first time.

Determined to savour this first exploration they lay entwined gently caressing and smudging kisses onto every inch of the other.

The Doctor made love to her as only the Doctor knew how. She gripped the sheets tightly as a soft moan escaped her parted lips.

He wasn't a great lover by any means, but reading those stolen pages had certainly helped. He knew exactly how to touch her, knew exactly what she liked.

* * *

He slowly blinked his eyes awake... Good god he was blind! ... No... Wait... Not blind. Just in the dark. The Doctor sat bolt upright, the covers slid off of him. He pushed his hair back hurriedly, where was he? His hands patted down his naked torso... wait... his _'naked' _torso? It took a few seconds longer than it should have for him to recall the events of the previous night. He grinned stupidly. His hand wandered onto the other side of the bed. His fingers gripping the soft material. It soon turned into a frantic grabbing action. She was gone.

"River...?" he whispered loudly. His hand still searched the darkness beside him, "River..." he demanded less patiently. The Doctor sighed loudly as he threw off the covers and slid from the bed. She couldn't possibly have left the Tardis he would have heard her. He stood in the darkness, his fingers working at his bow tie furiously. He frowned to himself. He wasn't used to being the one left behind. He preferred to do the leaving. On this occasion however he'd had no such thought cross his mind, "Arh..." he groaned dropping his face into his hands. He knew now why he didn't sleep. He felt groggy and lathargic. He couldn't possibly chase River in this condition, "Mmft..." he mumbled wrestling his jacket onto his back before tugging the lapels into place. River was a wild woman, craving adventure and mystery, "Well I'm not a mystery now," he grumbled putting his foot up onto the bed to tie his boot laces tightly, "Mystery solved... Next one..." He wriggled his leg around until the trouser leg fell into place uncreased before turning to the door. Beyond it light was seeping through the crack all the way around, producing a perfect golden rectangular line. He was just about to reach for the handle when a blinding light burst through the rectangular seam. A hiss and crack broke the silence. The Doctor froze. He knew that sound. He knew that sound well. _Very_ well. His shaking hand ripped the door open in time for him to see the last of the smokey residue from the Vortex Manipulator dispersing near the console. His legs raced him up to the controls. He wafted the remaining residue away with his hand. On the console was a crude drawing of a stick figure River. It was waving. In the speech bubble words written in River's hand.

'You'll see me again soon'

He reached down to pick up the paper. Clenched it tightly in his fist. She'd gone to the Library. That's where he would see her again. But not him. Not like this. He wouldn't have a clue who she was.

How _precious_ she was.

How _important _she was.

The Screwdriver.

She didn't have the screwdriver.

He needed to find her.

Quickly.


	29. Chapter 29

Stepping out of the blue police box the Doctor breathed in deeply. River was a hard person to track down. His eyes took in his dim surroundings. A mop, a bucket... A cleaning cupboard... Typical.

"Why break a habit of a lifetime..." he grumbled pulling the door open. He found himself in a long curved corridor. The wall facing him was made up of solid glass windows, floor to ceiling. Outside he could see millions of stars spread neatly across space. He stepped up to it. The stars however were of no interest to him. He'd seen them all; and there would plenty of time to visit them all. No, what interested him more was his appearance. He played with his hair, flicked his fringe this way and that. Adjusted the bow tie to fit perfectly straight. He bared his teeth at his reflection, finally nodding in approval before rubbing his hand over his cheeks and chin. Well shaved as always. He twisted left then right examining his jacket, shirt and trousers. Raising his hand to sit on the top of his head he paused, "... Fez..." he whispered, "... Maybe later"

"Sweetie? What are you doing here?"

'Sweetie' he mouthed to himself with a frown before turning around. She was stood facing him, dressed in a white, one piece, full body suit; matching white helmet tucked under her arm.

"Tardis. Now," he demanded pointing to the cleaning cupboard door. There was no point in prolonging this. Time wasn't exaclty in excess after her unforseen departure. Her eyes narrowed in amusement at his attempt at a stern tone with her. She complied and entered the cupboard without question; then boarded the Tardis obediently.

"Now what?" she asked, as she turned her hair flicked about casually.

The Doctor glared at her a moment, not quite finding the words that he wanted to address her with.

"You left me," he sighed finally. He shook his head sadly, his eyes closed in a slow blink before looking straight into her soul... And it saddened her.

"Sweetie I..."

"Yes... The expedition. I know. But... Time Machine!" he cried throwing his arms around indicating to the Tardis around them, "Anywhere you want. Any. Time. You. Want. Just please... Stop running from me" River stared sadly back at him, his firm stare never faltered. Finally his features relaxed; with a flick of his wrist he aimed his screwdriver briefly at the doors.

"Doctor... Doctor what was that?" Her eyes darted between the doors and the Doctor.

He stepped up to the console, "Sorry River," his eyes looked her up and down casually as he started the Tardis. From the corner of his eye he could see her dart to the doors, "Deadlocked!" he called over the rumble of the Time Machine. She shook

"I hate you sometimes!" she yelled across at him. She gripped the rail to catch herself as the Tardis shuddered into action.

"I know!" The Doctor cried, his feet slipping from under him as he gripped the console.

The Tardis spun excitedly out of control. It threw the pair about as it veered off course, its own agenda in mind. The Doctor toppled backwards over the railing laughing uncontrollably.

"It's not funny!" River yelled clinging onto everything she could. Her helmet rolled away forgotten.

"It's _brilliant_!" the Doctor cried vanishing from her view, "Ohh Time Travel...!" River couldn't help but laugh at his legs in the air. The multicoloured socks weren't exactly sexy, "Right...!" His head bobbed up, his hair was strewn about his face, "Now then... A going away present..." He scrambled up, without bothering to correct his ruffled appearance he hopped over to the doors, stepped casually over River and opened them in his usual over dramatic fashion.

"HaHaa!" he cried stepping out into the light, "Brilliant... Just brilliant!"

Inside the Tardis River lay on her back staring up at the ceiling. She'd waited a long time to go on the expedition to the Library. It had taken 3 generations of the Lux family to crack the codes and open the Library which had been one hundred years silent. She sighed and swallowed hard. What worried her was the fact that the Doctor had developed a terrible habit of arriving late to every occasion presented to him. It suddenly dawned on her that that man, that horribly cringe worthy and impossible man, would probably be late for his own wedding and funeral. It was a good job she was there to keep him in line. She clambered up and followed him out through the open doors. The sight was incredible.

Two large towers stood tall, stretching high up into the clouds. The sun's reflection shimmered off brilliant white stones. The cone shaped tops were a deep red colour with wisps of white clouds encircling them. And the sound. River closed her eyes as the gentle notes surrounded her. The Doctor's voice broke her peaceful state.

"Darillium," he beamed leaning towards her as he spoke, "And those are..."

"...The Singing Towers," she whispered breathlessly.


	30. Chapter 30

The pair stood a moment taking in the incredible sight before them. Many white steps led the way to the centre of the two towers which were connected only by the humble two story building in between them. It too possessed a red tiled sloping roof and was made of the same stones as the towers, which shimmered and shone in the sunlight. The soft singing noises that reached River's ears were crisp and refreshing. Like hundreds of choir singers singing a musical masterpiece, in perfect harmony within her mind.

"They don't actually sing... That's a common misconception," he explained leading the way up the white steps. He paused halfway up and turned around sharply, "The noises... The... Sounds that you hear. No one else can hear those. The Towers... The Singing Towers... Play exactly what you want to hear. Exciting... Don't you think..." He smiled into her face excitedly, clearly waiting for the 'oohs' and 'ahhs' that he expected to be building up inside of her.

River stared back at him for a moment in confusion, "... How?"

"Telepathy of course," he confirmed before turning to continue up the stone steps. River gazed up at the tops of the Towers as they drifted in and out of view behind the clouds. She started quickly after the Doctor attempting to catch him as he took the steps two at a time.

"What do you hear Doctor?" she asked hurrying to fall in step beside him. He stopped suddenly, looking far too thoughtful for River's liking. His eyes were fixed unblinkingly on the floor, his eyebrows slowly furrowed as he was lost in his daydream. The Doctor raised his head quickly, looking straight into River's eyes.

"I don't hear anything," he said finally.

With that he continued to the very top.

"Not everyone hears them," he added hopping onto the balcony wall. River stood beside him, her hands pressed firmly on top of the short stone wall. She peered over the edge into the neatly kept green gardens below. Rows and rows of perfectly straight hedges lined an enormous maze at the base of the steps. The Tardis looked so small down there; blocking the entrance to said maze. A cluster of people had begun to gather around it. River chuckled in amusement. The Doctor followed her line of vision,

"Oh..." He murmured, "Never mind eh..."

"So Doctor..." River was cut off by the sudden ringing of what sounded like church bells. The large double doors of the centre building were opened slowly. The sound of cheers grew louder; crowds of people dressed in formal wear swarmed out from inside. Shimmering confetti rained down upon them all, the crowd seemed to grow and grow. It seemed impossible that so many people could fit inside such a seemingly modest sized building. What appeared to be a white veil and top hat emerged in the centre of the crowd. The cheering increased; the amount of confetti – doubled.

"Oh a wedding," River smiled rising up on her tip toes to try and see the couple.

The Doctor climbed up to stand on top of the wall, squinting into the crowd. He could see the thick brown hair of the groom under his top hat; and the curly locks of the bride. He sighed in frustration as the crowd hid them from view once more. Binoculars now to his eyes he scanned the crowd. He'd gotten a really nauseous feeling of which he was determined to find the cause. He dropped the binoculars, they cracked on the corner of the wall before laying broken on the floor.

River turned quickly.

"Doctor? Doctor what is it? You look as though you've seen a ghost"

He suddenly felt incredibly light headed. He swayed with the breeze. River grabbed the material of his trouser leg tightly in case he were to tumble over the edge, "Sweetie... Come down here before you fall," she insisted.

With shaking legs he dismounted the wall. River took his stunned face in her hands, "Doctor... What's wrong?"

Without a word he put his arms around her waist and held her tightly. He put his chin on her shoulder. He didn't speak, he barely blinked. Surely it was impossible. A blip in time and space... A parallel even. He must be dreaming surely, or perhaps there was still some pollen particles within the Tardis. It was impossible... impossible. How could Time torment him so? He'd honoured its call. Sure, he hadn't exactly been for a hair cut... neither had he bought a new suit. But he'd brought her here. To the Towers. The last time he would see her.

What he'd seen was neither his past nor his future. So what was it? Just an anomaly?

River pushed him back from her to look into his face. Tears were flooding down his cheeks. His watery sad eyes look into hers. He shook with silent sobs. He turned from her; put his face in his hands. Tried desperately to stop the tears. It was impossible.

With a tug on his sleeve River pulled him back into a tight embrace. He buried his face into her soft hair and held onto her as tightly as he possibly could. Now he had no idea what would happen to River in library... Maybe time had been changed. All he knew now was that he needed to equip her for the dangers ahead. Prepare her for everything she was about to face. Give her the tools to gain his trust and discover the horrors within the Library.

Through his shuddering sobs he forced her to sit down beside him on the wall.

"I... I have ... something... for you..." He pulled out the modified MK9 screwdriver, turning it over in his hands he began to explain its functions, "... a fluid link here... Change the intensity with that... The ring here is for your little finger... To identify you as the user..." He placed it gently into her hand, he wrapped her fingers around it, and held her hand closed on it firmly, "It's about time you had your own eh..." he whispered, "And this..."

"I can't take your psychic paper Doctor..."

He forced it into her hands insistently, "I've got a spare in the Tardis"

As she took the paper and tucked it into her pocket with the screwdriver, he felt as though a piece of him had been taken away. River pushed his fringe back from his forehead,

"Come with me?" she asked gently.

"I can't... River... I can't..."

"Sweetie..."

"I'll be waiting for you... when... when you come home" A tear escaped down his face, he couldn't stand lying to her.

"Oh Doctor..." she sighed wiping away his tear, "What has the world done to you?"

He sighed and shook his head. It ate away at him, knowing that she'd no longer be in his life once he'd left her to go on the expedition. As they strolled hand in hand down the white steps he paused, looking back at the wedding party. He caught a clear glimpse at the Groom who was staring straight back at him. It was an unusual feeling looking straight at himself from another time. It sent a cold shiver through his soul as he saw the Bride step into view. The curly hair was unmistakable.

He was looking at himself... Marrying River.

Was it true? That time could be rewritten? This was proof surely? The event that he had stumbled upon... could it really be his future?

Only time would tell.


End file.
